tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59020644442798294602016-10-16T10:58:43.588-04:00Stop the StateAustin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-45026031169997713732012-04-17T10:03:00.001-04:002012-04-17T10:07:59.808-04:00Libertarianism in The Hunger Games Trilogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iuKdL1SzaRM/T413_WmywHI/AAAAAAAAAMw/8_KZP3k7oNk/s1600/The-Hunger-Games-Trilogy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iuKdL1SzaRM/T413_WmywHI/AAAAAAAAAMw/8_KZP3k7oNk/s400/The-Hunger-Games-Trilogy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s no surprise that many state worshippers are quickly dismissing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hunger Games</i> trilogy as just another teenage romance story like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight </i>series, showing they are either too stupid to understand the many specific messages of the story or do see the messages but don’t want other people noticing them – especially the youth.&nbsp; I’ve seen some reviews where the trilogy has even been lumped into the category of being no more than a children’s series and associated with Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Suzanne Collins did indeed write these books for young people and she should be commended for this.&nbsp; Instead of writing off the youth as a bunch of fools, she realizes, just like Ron Paul, that it is the young who have received the least brainwashing at this point in their lives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The story is extremely dangerous to the State because seeds have been and will continue to be planted in people’s minds that maybe governments <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">aren’t</i> run by benevolent, selfless people, but rather sadistic, self-glorifying sociopaths.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some on the left may perceive the first book as a battle between rich and poor, a portrayal of Marxist class theory, due to the protagonists all being poor and the antagonists all being extravagantly wealthy, but it is actually a perfect example of libertarian class struggle.&nbsp; The story is a battle between the tax payers and the tax eaters, although of a Soviet-level severity.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Capital rules over twelve separate districts, similar to the United States, and each separate district is charged with producing a different good for the Capital including coal, agriculture, fabrics,&nbsp; and electronics.&nbsp; The only approved jobs most people can get are working for the government in some way, the majority working in whatever line of production the Capital demands of their district.&nbsp; Nearly all of what is produced goes straight to the Capital – not sold in voluntary exchanges, but expropriated by the Capital.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most people, since they are severely restricted by the State in freely finding their places in the division of labor of an outlawed free market, are barely able to survive and starvation is always a looming problem.&nbsp; Leaving the districts is punishable by death and tall electric fences border the territories (to keep dangerous animals away, of course).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is where any possibility of Marxist undertones vanishes: the people rely on black markets for their survival.&nbsp; It is reiterated many times by the main character Katniss that if it weren’t for the illicit market in her town, where people trade outlawed products and food for profit, survival would be impossible.&nbsp; The small bit of capitalism they illegally enjoy is what keeps them alive.&nbsp; It is clear that the government is the exploiter and the agorist entrepreneurs are heroes worthy of the highest praise.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Hunger Games are the most sinister government program of the Capital.&nbsp; 75 years before the books take place, the districts initiated a rebellion against the Capital.&nbsp; The Capital responded by completely nuking one of the districts into oblivion.&nbsp; To rub salt in the wound and have the superiority of the State constantly displayed, the Capital annually conscripts two teenagers from every district and forces them to slaughter each other in an arena.&nbsp; The victor is rewarded with a wealthy life and celebrity among the creatures of the Capital and the victor’s district is given slightly more food than the other districts for the next year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The spectacle is covered by the lapdog media in a stylish and fun fashion as if there is nothing morally wrong about the Hunger Games whatsoever.&nbsp; The people of the Capital view the games with excited pleasure, but the people of the districts are forced to view the event on big screens so their spirits can be crushed under the omnipotence of the State.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Most disturbing is how the State itself presents this event.&nbsp; The Capital considers the games to be a great, generous program and the coerced participants are treated as if they are the lucky recipients of the most wonderful opportunity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is the second book where the role of police comes into focus.&nbsp; The presence of peacekeepers in the districts increases exponentially as the Capital realizes the growing opposition among their subjects.&nbsp; The citizens aren’t fooled by the Orwellian term “peacekeeper” and are quite aware that the role of the enforcers is to keep the tax slaves obedient to the capital.&nbsp; The peacekeepers’ primary goal at this point is to squelch all dissent and disobedience, no matter how small.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As you can imagine, the types of people attracted to the “job” of being a peacekeeper are sadists who immensely enjoy dominating other people.&nbsp; Peacekeepers who openly object to the brutality of their superiors are severely punished, insuring that no moral person joins or remains among the Capital enforcers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Mass rebellion eventually breaks out as the level of tyranny becomes intolerable, but, unfortunately, government power itself is not the enemy of the rebellion, just the particular present regime.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Libertarians will be pleased to see that the question Collins seems to be pondering by the third book isn’t what type of government is best, but whether we should even be governed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at all</i>.&nbsp; The reader is left with an undeniable feeling that the people of Panem would be better off not only without the current regime, but without the supposedly better replacement as well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The reader is also urged to be highly suspicious of those who seek to grab state power away for themselves from tyrants as a strategy of advancing freedom, as they may very quickly resort to acts that make them just as evil in the process.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The primary issue of the series is war and it is at the final chapters where interstate war receives the complete uncompromising, unrelenting condemnation it deserves. &nbsp;There is no glory depicted. &nbsp;&nbsp;Libertarians often correctly point out that wars between countries are in fact wars between governments, but Collins shows wars between governments for what they really are: the State versus every single one of us.&nbsp; All sides will eventually commit atrocities, all sides become indefensible, no innocent on any side is safe from the State, and the people who bear the greatest costs are almost always those who least deserve it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-52177294017992493572012-04-12T08:09:00.001-04:002012-04-12T08:09:46.297-04:00It'll Never Come from the Top<div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">The only way to advance liberty for the long-term and maintain our progress is through education.&nbsp; People’s minds must be changed one at a time.&nbsp; There are no shortcuts.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Many libertarians, to use the label broadly, don’t like to hear this because dedication to this strategy requires patience, maybe lifelong patience.&nbsp; They want to believe that they can hijack the political system and change it to their liking.&nbsp; They want to believe that if we simply elect the right president or the right batch of pseudo-libertarian Republicans next congressional term, then liberty will rain down from Washington.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Selling out, often euphemistically referred to as pragmatism, is essential to this political strategy.&nbsp; The average person is afraid of liberty and so no one could ever currently get elected on a platform of principled libertarianism.&nbsp; Libertarian political candidates must toss the core principles of the philosophy to the wayside.&nbsp; Too often they’re commended for this.&nbsp; “He’s not a sellout, he’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pragmatic</i>.”&nbsp; Marijuana decriminalization is fine, but full drug legalization becomes a no-no.&nbsp; You can be against the decade-old and unpopular Iraq and Afghanistan wars (not for any moral reason, or course, but because this is finally a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">politically feasible</i> position now that no one really cares), but sanctions on Iran are a must – or else the warmongering, bloodthirsty, murderous Republicans might not like you.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">“Libertarian” political candidates are largely immune from libertarian criticism.&nbsp; If, or rather <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">when,</i> one of them sells out and trades in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">politically unfeasible </i>libertarian<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>position for a much more feasible statist position (often regarding the most important issue of all: war), the political strategist types assure the principled libertarians that the politician, “our inside guy”, is simply “playing the game to get elected” and when it’s safe to do so he’ll unleash libertarianism all over Leviathan!&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Much worse, principled libertarians who call out “libertarian” politicians over their statist blunders are often accused of sabotaging this supposed effort for liberty.&nbsp; We’re ruining the “play the games to get elected” Trojan horse strategy.&nbsp; Have they ever considered the fact that this strategy has no record of significant long-term success at all for libertarians?</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The game playing never ends.&nbsp; Once the politician is finally in office he then has to keep playing the game in order to get reelected, then he has to play the game to achieve higher office, and so on.&nbsp; </div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The establishment is aware of this.&nbsp; They hold these possibilities of high office in front of fresh libertarian politicians like a carrot on a stick.&nbsp; The pragmatists urge the principled to just shut up and tolerate the game playing because the carrot is always just within our grasp.&nbsp; Just keep selling out and we’ll get one of our guys into the president’s cabinet, as we’ve been told recently.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Some radical libertarians allege that the “work within the system” dogma came <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">from</i> the system to keep people feeling insignificant and powerless.&nbsp; The political activist trying to change the State is just another cog in a machine surrounded by other cogs who seek to preserve it.&nbsp; I believe there is a lot of truth to this, but another effect of this “work in the system” method is that it seems to very quickly seduce libertarians into becoming advocates of and apologists for the system.&nbsp; There is no shortage of cases where a libertarian goes off to work in D.C. or on a politician’s campaign and quickly develops an elitist, politician-like swagger.&nbsp; If simply being an American produces a nationalist arrogance among most people, I can’t imagine what arrogance must be produced by working within D.C., the capital of the largest, most powerful empire in world history.&nbsp; </div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">It must also be acknowledged that beltway libertarian think tanks who seek to influence the political class, instead of the common person, benefit immensely from the State.&nbsp; If there were to be a libertarian revolution tomorrow, the beltarians would all have to look for new jobs.&nbsp; This means that they have a genuine incentive not only to preserve the State, but even help it grow.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">On a smaller scale, individuals who choose to earn their income by working on political campaigns often adopt a much rosier view of working in the system as they are relying on this line of work to pay their bills.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Those who advocate working within the government also often seem to be the kinds of people who themselves desire to run for office one day and have power over others, or at the least have some kind of meaningful influence over another possessor of political power.&nbsp; The outrage they often express when someone belittles the use of the political process is very telling of this.&nbsp; Are they perceiving this criticism of using the political process as an attack on their desire to be a wielder of power one day?</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The hard truth libertarians need to hear is that real libertarians will never be permitted to have any influence on Leviathan.&nbsp; Self-preservation is its highest end, followed by constant growth towards its ultimate goal of becoming a total state.&nbsp; All governments desire to be totalitarian and are constantly testing the boundaries of how much oppression they can convince their subjects to tolerate.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">We will never be allowed to get close enough to whisper in the emperor’s ear and, even if we were, the emperor is the absolute least likely person in society to listen.&nbsp; One does not become a member of the most powerful criminal gang of oppressors because of his willingness to empathize with the oppressed.&nbsp; </div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">“But what about Ron Paul?!”&nbsp; </div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Ron Paul is the opposite of a Trojan horse. &nbsp;He’s never played the games. &nbsp;Ron Paul goes on national TV calling taxation <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theft</i>, calling government nothing but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">force</i>, and calling the U.S. government an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">empire</i>.&nbsp; Ron Paul says the South had the right to secede, he supports full drug legalization, supports trading with Cuba, opposes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 due to its invasions on private property rights, and completely opposes all wealth redistribution period.&nbsp; He proudly takes these bold positions and doesn’t care a single bit about the consequences.&nbsp; Ron Paul would rather lose an election than sell out.&nbsp; Ron Paul isn’t in the presidential race to win, he’s in it to give as many speeches and get on TV as much as he can and talk about liberty – planting seeds in millions of people’s minds.&nbsp; Ron Paul is an educator. &nbsp;He just wants to get kids reading Mises and Rothbard.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Ron Paul has indeed been magnificently effective at this, but unfortunately he is also a rarest outlier.&nbsp; He has been performing this role for four decades now and, unlike most other libertarian politicians, has only gotten <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more radical</i> – even calling himself a “voluntaryist” on national TV, a term Murray Rothbard coined in his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man, Economy, and State </i>to describe a society where the initiation of force is entirely prohibited and individuals enjoy full self-ownership.&nbsp; </div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">This is what it takes for a position in the political system to genuinely be used for education, if we are to even use it at all.&nbsp; The libertarian politician educator must be completely pure and radical and not worry at all about whether this will result in not getting reelected.&nbsp; The focus should always be on the root, not the branches.&nbsp; Unfortunately, it appears that Ron Paul is the only politician in American history who has been able to resist the aphrodisiac of power so consistently.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">It must also be recognized that Ron Paul as a congressman has done basically nothing at all for liberty.&nbsp; His record number of “no” votes never stopped any government expansion.&nbsp; His only bill to ever pass was the Audit the Fed bill, which has had basically no effect at all on the Fed.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The great majority of the good Ron Paul has done has been as a private individual, introducing people to libertarian principles one crowd, one TV audience, and one YouTube viewer at a time.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Political types will be quick to point out that being a congressman and presidential candidate is what has gotten Ron Paul on TV so much.&nbsp; This is true, but Ron Paul is also proof of the effectiveness of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not playing</i> the political games and selling out.&nbsp; If playing the game is such a sound strategy, why is Ron Paul so much more popular among regular people than the “small-L” “libertarians”?&nbsp; Why is there no Bob Barr revolution or Gary Johnson revolution?</div><br />&nbsp; <br /><div class="MsoNormal">Now let us ponder the utopian best case scenario for Ron Paul.&nbsp; He goes third party and wins the presidency thanks to his wide appeal among non-Republicans.&nbsp; He pardons all the non-violent offenders from prison.&nbsp; He’s able to get congressional cooperation to abolish the Fed, along with 90% of the federal government.&nbsp; He brings the troops home from everywhere.&nbsp; He stops the impending war with Iran.&nbsp;&nbsp; What long-term good is this if the average person does not understand liberty?&nbsp; Even this absolute best case scenario can only be considered a temporary band-aid.&nbsp; How long will it be before people are demanding the welfare-state again after Ron Paul is out of office?&nbsp; How long will it be before some demagogue politician wins the presidency on a platform of warring with an unpopular nation, kicking the warfare state back into gear?</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Now let us consider a slightly more realistic, but still utopian, scenario.&nbsp; Ron Paul wins the presidency.&nbsp; The entire congress is filled with politicians who benefit tremendously from the current system and will fight tooth and nail to preserve it.&nbsp; Nearly half the American population is enjoying some type of tax-funded government handout.&nbsp; More people than ever have government jobs in departments Ron Paul would like to abolish.&nbsp; They will not like Ron Paul.&nbsp; Ron Paul is probably glad he most likely can’t win so he doesn’t have to be put in this position.&nbsp; I believe he is even on recent record saying he doesn’t want to be president.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">If Ron Paul can’t make liberty rain down from the top, nobody can.&nbsp; This is an effort that can only come from the ground up.&nbsp; It all comes first from education.&nbsp; People’s minds must be changed one at a time.&nbsp; Reading should be every libertarian’s top priority.&nbsp; Libertarians should focus on keeping the philosophy as pure and principled as possible.&nbsp; It’s all about the ideas. &nbsp;If we sell those out, or never have them figured out to begin with, then all activism of any kind from that point is wasted effort.</div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">As Etienne de la Boettie explains in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Politics of Obedience</i>, all governments rely solely on the consent of their subjects.&nbsp; As more people learn about liberty, the consent of the tax-slaves will vanish along with the State.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">This is far from an impossible task and the internet is making it exponentially easier every day.&nbsp; </div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-30217011457145701562012-04-10T15:10:00.000-04:002012-04-10T15:10:30.701-04:00Memes Vol. 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wh0ePvqB1rk/T4SFX_GpA-I/AAAAAAAAALo/z0TyaIh9Vgg/s1600/Boromir+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wh0ePvqB1rk/T4SFX_GpA-I/AAAAAAAAALo/z0TyaIh9Vgg/s400/Boromir+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SWUY6pcM87k/T4SFYfP5GgI/AAAAAAAAALw/XMa_ddBCd80/s1600/DCS_Naboo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SWUY6pcM87k/T4SFYfP5GgI/AAAAAAAAALw/XMa_ddBCd80/s400/DCS_Naboo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JA0B9VbU4Uo/T4SFZMzGHuI/AAAAAAAAAL4/OhD1uJ3PgR4/s1600/ObamaSpeech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JA0B9VbU4Uo/T4SFZMzGHuI/AAAAAAAAAL4/OhD1uJ3PgR4/s400/ObamaSpeech.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oScDxTVBUTo/T4SFaDs7ShI/AAAAAAAAAMA/qCbWGFWqhE8/s1600/abraham_lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oScDxTVBUTo/T4SFaDs7ShI/AAAAAAAAAMA/qCbWGFWqhE8/s400/abraham_lincoln.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbUqOdnSYCE/T4SFbCnoc2I/AAAAAAAAAMI/NC3EZjzxEv4/s1600/end+the+state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbUqOdnSYCE/T4SFbCnoc2I/AAAAAAAAAMI/NC3EZjzxEv4/s400/end+the+state.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJn2KnyOOYs/T4SFbhGjnhI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/JkjRW7AXkkA/s1600/road+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CJn2KnyOOYs/T4SFbhGjnhI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/JkjRW7AXkkA/s400/road+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-De4Kw0mjYkI/T4SFcTEUuMI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cB273Y88j10/s1600/romney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-De4Kw0mjYkI/T4SFcTEUuMI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cB273Y88j10/s400/romney.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kdBoQ1Gl4PI/T4SFdVbgIxI/AAAAAAAAAMg/iT-yI167HH8/s1600/vader+authority.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kdBoQ1Gl4PI/T4SFdVbgIxI/AAAAAAAAAMg/iT-yI167HH8/s400/vader+authority.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Kdse2lHetM/T4SFeMUfcpI/AAAAAAAAAMo/G74PozmqyDM/s1600/with+or+without+the+roads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Kdse2lHetM/T4SFeMUfcpI/AAAAAAAAAMo/G74PozmqyDM/s400/with+or+without+the+roads.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-84259224539004836602012-04-07T12:21:00.002-04:002012-04-07T12:53:42.576-04:00Abolish All Government Roads Right Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OE1Bt_Mz5xk/T4BpjxXHPzI/AAAAAAAAALY/WvOkRyMFcDs/s1600/road+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OE1Bt_Mz5xk/T4BpjxXHPzI/AAAAAAAAALY/WvOkRyMFcDs/s400/road+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />One of the most common objections against a private property order is the issue of roads.&nbsp; "Roads are a public good!&nbsp; Government must be in charge of them," says the skeptic.&nbsp; "What if someone didn't want to give up their property?&nbsp; Government must use force to make them cooperate.&nbsp; Won't there be toll booths every five feet?&nbsp; What if a fat cat buys up every single road and charges a hundred dollars per mile to use them?"<br /><br />Of course I urge all libertarians to check out Walter Block's great work on the marketization of roads and prepare themselves to challenge this objection head on, explaining why people voluntarily interacting in the market would find a way to handle them, as they did for most of America's history before government monopolized this service.<br /><br />But I believe an even better response is to simply point out the prehistoric nature of roads and advocate for their abolishment completely.&nbsp; The time of the flying car is now and debating how the market would provide some relic of an old world is just stupid.<br /><br />All government roads should be sold off and the proceeds given back to the taxpayers according to who paid the most for the roads and all regulations concerning flying cars should be abolished.&nbsp; I suppose I'll sell out and take the moderate position that there may be a one or two year transition period allowed.<br /><br />Every major breakthrough in transportation came from entrepreneurs: James J. Hill, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Henry Ford, and now the heroes of PAL-V are on the edge of providing us with the next transportation revolution.<br /><br /><br />So, without further waiting, the flying car:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/SgHSaNtAMjs?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J89US7R7_kc/T4BxCssWbWI/AAAAAAAAALg/OvaXQ1kw7wI/s1600/pal-v.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J89US7R7_kc/T4BxCssWbWI/AAAAAAAAALg/OvaXQ1kw7wI/s320/pal-v.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">***********</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Response to a reasonable objection:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A friend responds that she likes driving and isn't crazy about flying around.&nbsp; Her loss, but no worries.&nbsp; <span class="commentBody" data-jsid="text">Private entrepreneurs will cater to this niche market of people clinging to their roads. Just as we have scissors for left-handed people and soy burgers for wimpy people, roads will exist for those who want roads.&nbsp; Believe it or not, you can even still buy VCRs.</span><b> </b></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-10824032266641621272012-04-06T10:54:00.000-04:002012-04-06T10:54:16.424-04:00Memes Vol. 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0svoJZAiwJI/T38DPmlOg6I/AAAAAAAAAKY/Y383Pu5xiuk/s1600/DeathStar+works+project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0svoJZAiwJI/T38DPmlOg6I/AAAAAAAAAKY/Y383Pu5xiuk/s400/DeathStar+works+project.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a 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src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OzepCbGaO5M/T38DR0bI0HI/AAAAAAAAAKw/8mL1d5DG_ME/s400/anarchy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaZ5_dAFzoc/T38DSqbNPuI/AAAAAAAAAK4/pJO2W7I6Dzw/s1600/bellamy+salute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaZ5_dAFzoc/T38DSqbNPuI/AAAAAAAAAK4/pJO2W7I6Dzw/s400/bellamy+salute.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7dvupzO3a6k/T38DSxvhH5I/AAAAAAAAALA/mWuEZMmo-WY/s1600/grima.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7dvupzO3a6k/T38DSxvhH5I/AAAAAAAAALA/mWuEZMmo-WY/s400/grima.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-js3zW2K1jPQ/T38DTEokeAI/AAAAAAAAALE/0MqcFyxak94/s1600/ron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-js3zW2K1jPQ/T38DTEokeAI/AAAAAAAAALE/0MqcFyxak94/s400/ron.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GlZ7Hy-1OMU/T38DTnqf7VI/AAAAAAAAALQ/Hp3pSq3wIlM/s1600/solo+libertarian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GlZ7Hy-1OMU/T38DTnqf7VI/AAAAAAAAALQ/Hp3pSq3wIlM/s400/solo+libertarian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-51049802470975435702012-03-31T14:00:00.002-04:002012-03-31T15:12:00.393-04:00Buncha MemesYeah, yeah, I know.&nbsp; I'm a great big jerk and jerks like me will tear the liberty movement apart.&nbsp; Heard it all before.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-LoLqSwtTM/T3dFCU4HrNI/AAAAAAAAAIo/M6Iwm_te2xE/s1600/Interns+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-LoLqSwtTM/T3dFCU4HrNI/AAAAAAAAAIo/M6Iwm_te2xE/s400/Interns+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QubjlUJ5ttU/T3dFCr-479I/AAAAAAAAAIw/8dCfqbBakr8/s1600/Interns+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QubjlUJ5ttU/T3dFCr-479I/AAAAAAAAAIw/8dCfqbBakr8/s400/Interns+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwb4Fihg9Bc/T3dFDEFm38I/AAAAAAAAAI4/SL7bgBPfwnU/s1600/beltway+douchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwb4Fihg9Bc/T3dFDEFm38I/AAAAAAAAAI4/SL7bgBPfwnU/s400/beltway+douchers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tztzGTXFk20/T3dFDkfx6mI/AAAAAAAAAJA/ne8X1BxJAxA/s1600/confident-business+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tztzGTXFk20/T3dFDkfx6mI/AAAAAAAAAJA/ne8X1BxJAxA/s400/confident-business+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv84P1CvcGY/T3dFEPcgpHI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ssjjz1AY28I/s1600/gandhi+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv84P1CvcGY/T3dFEPcgpHI/AAAAAAAAAJI/ssjjz1AY28I/s400/gandhi+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTAZbRekRuY/T3dFEg3g_aI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/Zd42WZg6QgM/s1600/hdt+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTAZbRekRuY/T3dFEg3g_aI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/Zd42WZg6QgM/s400/hdt+1.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24h_lEv3CrE/T3dFFF6jqvI/AAAAAAAAAJY/mv61tNMu13E/s1600/mlk+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24h_lEv3CrE/T3dFFF6jqvI/AAAAAAAAAJY/mv61tNMu13E/s400/mlk+1.jpg" width="345" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f71UEXTjeC8/T3dFFlrkXDI/AAAAAAAAAJg/ECvBt4HtniM/s1600/william+wallace+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f71UEXTjeC8/T3dFFlrkXDI/AAAAAAAAAJg/ECvBt4HtniM/s400/william+wallace+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gbSfDDehBOg/T3dFeQ6HsgI/AAAAAAAAAJw/N5NbiQgdHgw/s1600/Washington-DC+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gbSfDDehBOg/T3dFeQ6HsgI/AAAAAAAAAJw/N5NbiQgdHgw/s400/Washington-DC+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENgMUs199E8/T3dFe6V3ZsI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/V7qx_sHI8nw/s1600/Washington-DC+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENgMUs199E8/T3dFe6V3ZsI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/V7qx_sHI8nw/s400/Washington-DC+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaFbuErH0gQ/T3dFfaPnMKI/AAAAAAAAAKA/gXx7I1ikzWM/s1600/Washington-DC+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RaFbuErH0gQ/T3dFfaPnMKI/AAAAAAAAAKA/gXx7I1ikzWM/s400/Washington-DC+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6lUUmIJy_kc/T3dFfzOjTnI/AAAAAAAAAKI/ZAYxGPRBpdI/s1600/Washington-DC+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6lUUmIJy_kc/T3dFfzOjTnI/AAAAAAAAAKI/ZAYxGPRBpdI/s400/Washington-DC+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qT7_EoFI3qM/T3dFd46Q4YI/AAAAAAAAAJo/j5dFKZYMNgc/s1600/Washington-DC+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qT7_EoFI3qM/T3dFd46Q4YI/AAAAAAAAAJo/j5dFKZYMNgc/s400/Washington-DC+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">P.S.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s1600/crybaby+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ysnbhMEKKjk/T3dF1Y1Ra4I/AAAAAAAAAKQ/ETxtyRddsnI/s400/crybaby+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f71UEXTjeC8/T3dFFlrkXDI/AAAAAAAAAJg/ECvBt4HtniM/s1600/william+wallace+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-91808518464578242342012-03-29T12:09:00.000-04:002012-03-29T12:09:54.348-04:00Leaky Government Pipes<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> 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mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cIW4aw8DAww/T3SH_S-fs4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/D0317bhu43k/s1600/100_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cIW4aw8DAww/T3SH_S-fs4I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/D0317bhu43k/s320/100_0222.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a leaky government pipe next to my house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s been leaking a constant stream of water non-stop for several days since I noticed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I have no way of knowing how long it had been leaking before I found it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Probably a few days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>You can hear the water smacking against the concrete from half a block away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I tried tightening those two valves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>No effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This will require further adjustments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Probably not much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Probably just some tightening of a few of those nuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But I’m not doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I already pay part of the salaries of the government workers who are supposed to be out fixing this stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They’re not very busy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>All the time I see them parked in their service trucks under shady trees while they listen to the radio.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;">You don’t have to live by this pipe to see this whole photo is of public property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It looks awful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The road, the pipe, the concrete, the grass - it all looks dilapidated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It looks like it’s from the set of a dystopian sci-fi movie.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Go to just about any random private business and the environment will look much more attractive than this.<span>&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span></span>The Wal-Mart in my town looks just as new and shiny as it did when they opened it nearly a decade ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s a work of art compared to this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The owners of Wal-Mart have a financial incentive to preserve the capital value of their property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Disney’s Magic Kingdom opened up in Florida over forty years ago and it looks better than ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Imagine what the anarcho-capitalist “private property order” Hans-Hermann Hoppe theorizes about would look like, a world where every piece of property is justly in the hands of private owners who care about preserving their property and will suffer losses if they don't<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 6.5in;">No one has any incentive to maintain the condition of public property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You won’t enjoy any personal benefit, other than maybe a small bit of happiness, if you went out and tried to clean up the public property in your town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You only own maybe a ten-thousandth of the property - and you really don’t even own that or else you’d be allowed to sell that share.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder how much this leaky pipe will end up costing the tax-slaves in my town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I wonder how many other pipes are leaking like this around town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I wonder how many government pipes are leaking like this all around America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What would the bill for that be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What would the bill be for all the leaky government pipes all around the world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It must be bigger than the entire GDPs of a lot of countries.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The government has no incentive at all to fix this pipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They’re not paying for it, the tax payers are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Government has no wealth of its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Everything it has was stolen from the private productive class at gun point.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can’t wait to recycle this blog post the next time the Florida government institutes summer water rationing policies and tells us it all our fault because of our swimming pools and lawn watering.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-82975859350942247492012-03-24T12:37:00.001-04:002012-03-24T15:38:54.436-04:00What’s Wrong With This Picture?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DXyJN1vIu0Q/T2333iNL9oI/AAAAAAAAAII/69pgLhs9b7c/s1600/528499_3301855258123_1020202033_3108714_1258934261_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DXyJN1vIu0Q/T2333iNL9oI/AAAAAAAAAII/69pgLhs9b7c/s400/528499_3301855258123_1020202033_3108714_1258934261_n.jpg" width="400" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">I saw this on the internet this morning and feel obligated to respond.&nbsp; It’s an attack on the market.&nbsp; I’m a sworn defender of the market.&nbsp; I’m a market Jedi.&nbsp; This Sith creation must be destroyed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The most obvious error of this photo is the omission of the fact that people have full control over their career paths.&nbsp; The firelady voluntarily filled out the job application.&nbsp; She voluntarily showed up to the job interview.&nbsp; She voluntarily agreed to take the job.&nbsp; She voluntarily agreed to accept the offered wage.&nbsp; She voluntarily chooses to continue going to work.&nbsp; She voluntarily chooses not to go look for better job offers (if this is what she even desires).&nbsp; She has no one in the world to blame but herself if she’s unsatisfied with her career.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There are no barriers to entry preventing her from going into more appealing careers.&nbsp; There is no reason she couldn’t try her hand at any career she wants – including acting, singing, kicking a ball as a professional athlete, or any other “overpaid” industry.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t know who the guy on the right is, but he probably worked extremely hard to get where he is.&nbsp; He isn’t just a guy who kicks a ball; he’s a guy who kicks a ball who is so extremely good at it that people are literally willing to pay money to watch him do it against other competitors.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He probably played sports all throughout grade school to develop his skills - not getting paid for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> of this hard work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now that he’s a top professional he’s probably had to make training a full-time job in order to maintain this status.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah, he kicks a ball.&nbsp; He kicks a ball forty hours a week and it’s probably all the guy thinks about.&nbsp; He probably has to hire expensive trainers to push him beyond what his own willpower is capable of. &nbsp;That’s intense.&nbsp; You can count me out of living that kind of life.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 370.5pt;">The implications of this picture are:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1)<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>That the market is immoral.&nbsp; It rewards the undeserving more than the deserving.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">This view leads to</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2)<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>The market must be replaced by a system that will reward people more correctly.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It is essential to point out this system can only involve some kind of oligarchy of central planners and bureaucrats that will use force to accomplish this goal – this force being carried out by armed government enforcers and the threat of being locked up in prison.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The implications of the picture add up to the conclusion that armed enforcers should take a bunch of the rich athlete’s money and give it to the firelady, throw him in jail if he resists this, and kill him if he resists being jailed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It demotivates me to realize that the more success I garner as a result of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> hard work, the more I’ll have to share my success with people who did not work for it, and if I don’t go along with this program then some IRS agent will arrest me and if I resist arrest he’ll likely murder me in front of the whole world and get away with it – he may even get a medal.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The reason the athlete makes so much money is because there are so few people in the world willing to invest all their time, for years and years, into becoming a world-class athlete.&nbsp; He’s rare.&nbsp; Very few possess the skills he’s developed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The firelady is not rare.&nbsp; There is no shortage of people capable of being a fire fighter.&nbsp; Any able-bodied adult with average intelligence can become a fire fighter.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The demand for the athlete’s services is great.&nbsp; Sports are extremely popular all around the world.&nbsp; There are entire television networks dedicated to bringing sports entertainment to people 24/7.&nbsp; Stadiums exist in all the big cities so tens of thousands of people can gather to view the sports in-person.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The demand for the fire fighter isn’t very big.&nbsp; People are surprised and shocked when a fire destroys a building.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">&nbsp; </b>This is good.&nbsp; This means fires aren’t very common over all.&nbsp; Sure, they happen, but they aren’t an epidemic.&nbsp;&nbsp; We have the producers of private fire sprinkler systems, private fire extinguishers, and private fire alarms to thank for that.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Maybe one day there will be a technology that will forever end the problem of unwanted fires and we can completely stop having to pay for fire fighters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The athlete receives his income through voluntary exchanges.&nbsp; People voluntarily choose to spend money on tickets to the game.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The firelady is likely paid out of coercive taxation.&nbsp; The government forces other people to pay her against their will.&nbsp; The government doesn’t give them the choice to buy or not buy this service.&nbsp; The government also outlaws private competition.&nbsp;&nbsp; Consumers are denied the option to voluntarily shop around for different service providers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-33208236103656152462012-03-23T10:00:00.004-04:002012-04-01T10:05:09.740-04:009 Things That Happen When You Film Police Encounters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.copblock.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/film-police.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://www.copblock.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/film-police.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i>This article originally appeared at the heroic <a href="http://www.copblock.org/" target="_blank">CopBlock.org</a>&nbsp; March 9, 2012</i><br /><br /><i>Thanks very much to John Kurtz for having me on his great radio show to discuss the article</i><br /><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</i><br /><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Part 1</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nHxZ3CwwzNw?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Part 2</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/97sXrpDHTe0?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br /><br />Anyone who has ever filmed a police encounter and put it on YouTube has received some, or a lot, of negative comments for their actions. This is mostly due to a lack of understanding among the general public as to why someone would want to film police as they are detaining or arresting someone.<br /><br />To explain, here are nine things that are achieved by filming police:<br /><br />1. You’re exercising your right to film police.&nbsp; You do have the right to film cops.&nbsp; This right is codified in the Constitution under the First Amendment.&nbsp; In the past year, New England’s highest Federal court ruled that filming cops is protected by the First Amendment.&nbsp; You don’t need any special reason for doing so.&nbsp; You don’t need permission from any bureaucrat.&nbsp; You don’t have to work for a big media outlet.&nbsp; Get a camera and a YouTube channel and you are officially media.&nbsp; Congratulations and film away.&nbsp; If you don’t exercise your rights, they atrophy.&nbsp; Exercise them.<br /><br />2. In the case where you are recording someone else’s police encounter, like a neighbor or friend, you are significantly reducing their chances of being the victim of police misconduct.&nbsp; Police will be less likely to perform unwarranted searches, plant drugs, beat the person, <a href="http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2012/03/uniformed-sexual-predator-deterrence.html" target="_blank">rape the person</a>, murder the person, or arrest them on trumped up charges if they know there are cameras around recording their every move.&nbsp; You’re reducing the extent to which the predatory armed enforcers are likely to harass their prey.&nbsp; Police-accountability activist <a href="http://www.copblock.org/tag/antonio-buehler/">Antonio Buehler</a> was possibly facing years in prison for allegedly assaulting an officer until he later obtained video evidence from bystanders that refuted the claims of the cop.<br /><br />3. In the case where you are recording your own police encounter, you could be saving yourself from a potentially life-destroying event.&nbsp; You could be preventing yourself from going to prison.&nbsp; Anyone who thinks they are not at risk of being arrested is quite oblivious to the number of “laws” on the books, as well as the vagueness of those laws and the ability of the state to interpret those laws however they want in order to put you in a cage.&nbsp; Every American is now at a palpable risk of being arrested and jailed at some point – unless you’re a cop.<br /><br />My friend Tj was <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6evC7Ghqr0" target="_blank">pulled over by police</a> a year and half ago over a malfunctioning tag light.&nbsp; Immediately the gang of cops went into overkill mode and began ordering him out of the vehicle, were pulling on his door handle, and suspiciously claiming he dropped something out of the car window.&nbsp; Eventually the police began threatening to pull TJ out of the vehicle and claiming that he might be a danger to the officers (cop language for “get out or we can kill you”) – all over a tag light.&nbsp; You can see the video for yourself to see how Tj recording the encounter with his cell phone quickly deterred the cops from perpetrating further harassment.<br /><br />4. You inspire others to stand up to cops and demand accountability.&nbsp; Standing up to cops is scary.&nbsp; They can quite literally kill you and get away with it, as well as everything below killing.&nbsp; When you film cops and deter them from engaging in misconduct you become a beacon of peaceful resistance to the police-state for other people to emulate.<br /><br />5. You remind the cops (allow me to put on my minarchist hat) that they are our servants and we are their masters.&nbsp; We pay the police with our tax dollars to provide security and protect our rights.&nbsp; We are the employers and the police are the employees.&nbsp; We have every right to monitor our employees to make sure they’re doing their job right.&nbsp; This is especially essential now that police have become routine rights violators and are far more likely to violate people’s rights than private criminals are.<br /><br />The state watches us, reads our emails, listens in our phone conversations, and is putting more and more cameras around to surveil us in public places – is it really that unreasonable for us to watch the watchers a little bit, especially when they are actively looking for ways to put anyone they can into cages?<br /><br />6. You are exercising the only real check we have on the police-state besides civil disobedience (which is becoming more appealing everyday) and armed rebellion.<br /><br />Police investigate themselves and are the arbiters of disputes involving themselves.&nbsp; How does the average person stand a chance against that?&nbsp; Bad cops are very rarely found guilty for their crimes and when they are found guilty the punishment they often receive is a modicum of what the average American would receive.<br /><br />In the fall of 2010, Orlando Copwatch did a lengthy investigation of an incident where <a href="http://orlandocopwatch.com/fire-and-jail-travis-lamont/">OPD officer Travis Lamont</a> body-slammed an 84-year-old man onto pavement and broke his neck – simply because the old man committed the heinous crime of touching Lamont’s shoulder.&nbsp; Despite the fact that numerous witnesses called the police station in outrage and spoke to the media about the horrific behavior of Lamont, Orlando Police Chief Val Demings and six other senior officials cleared Lamont of any wrong doing and he lurks the streets of Orlando to this day.<br /><br />The only effective method we have for dealing with bad cops is filming them in the act and putting it on YouTube so they can receive the shame and ostracism they deserve.&nbsp; If someone had been able to capture footage of Officer Lamont’s actions that night and put in on YouTube for it to go viral Lamont may have ended up in prison where he truly belongs.<br /><br />7. You are preparing cops to get used to being filmed.&nbsp; Every year the price of cameras goes down, the quality goes up, the size of cameras goes down, the ability to conceal cameras increases,&nbsp;&nbsp; we now have the ability to upload live footage to websites like Qik.com, and there is a growing movement of people happily willing to use these tools to keep police accountable.&nbsp; There is nothing the cops can do about it.&nbsp; The bureaucrats can write whatever laws they want to stop us, but the market will help us get around them.&nbsp; When you get out there and start filming cops you’re giving police a friendly reminder that soon every cop’s every move will be monitored by the tax payers and that they better start acting more civilized.&nbsp; You’re stimulating a feeling among police that they are being watched.<br /><br />8. You’re standing up for your rights and your fellow citizen’s rights and will feel damn good about it.&nbsp; You’ll be able to look back and know that you didn’t submit to the police-state like some slave.&nbsp; The preservation of your dignity and spirit is worth the risks of filming cops.<br /><br />9. You are reducing the amount of tyranny that your kids will live under.<br /><br />Yes, filming police is dangerous, but day-to-day life in the totalitarian Amerika that will develop as a result of our apathy will be far more dangerous.&nbsp; Now is the time to film cops; not later.&nbsp; The police-state will only get more severe if we don’t act now, which means it will only get harder to keep police accountable if we back down.Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-78211139717030069442012-03-22T11:37:00.001-04:002012-03-30T23:01:46.887-04:00The "Rand Paul Sucks" Meme PostHere's Rand Paul giving an insultingly demagogic answer to one of his much smarter constituents asking why the freshman senator voted to forcefully screw with Iran's economy and starve innocent people who have never harmed a single American. This snake claims he did it to avoid a war, showing he's either too stupid to realize or too much of an evil liar to acknowledge that sanctions are an act of war - either way he's of no use to libertarians.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/3LzzBOVsIFk?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br />Now here's Ron Paul giving one of many speeches on why sanctions are entirely evil and don't even work.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vIO-4v8qpYc?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br />For more on Iran see my previous article on this issue <a href="http://stopthestate.blogspot.com/2012/02/response-to-lame-attack-on-non.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />Rand Paul needs a good thrashing.&nbsp; At the best, a backlash from the liberty movement against him could turn him around (at least for a little while).&nbsp; At the least, it will show future politicians who seek to parasitically use the momentum of the Ron Paul R3VOLUTION to serve their own ends and get elected that we have absolutely no tolerance for war mongers and that, yes, we'll even take down Ron Paul's son when he sells out.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu8psEHaXhA/T3ZzXFzz9PI/AAAAAAAAAIg/tfmlH9Ztzbw/s1600/rand_paul_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zu8psEHaXhA/T3ZzXFzz9PI/AAAAAAAAAIg/tfmlH9Ztzbw/s320/rand_paul_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wws0il2bufw/T3ZzO1XwbeI/AAAAAAAAAIY/qBM1yj6T2Dw/s1600/rand-paul+18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wws0il2bufw/T3ZzO1XwbeI/AAAAAAAAAIY/qBM1yj6T2Dw/s320/rand-paul+18.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0NEacmHhBLI/T2tF-Q4YHCI/AAAAAAAAAF4/YrNEa7sAWFo/s1600/rand-paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0NEacmHhBLI/T2tF-Q4YHCI/AAAAAAAAAF4/YrNEa7sAWFo/s320/rand-paul.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2OaqDnMpOM/T2tGA6Mq86I/AAAAAAAAAGA/Z_fbS4CuvCY/s1600/rand-paul+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c2OaqDnMpOM/T2tGA6Mq86I/AAAAAAAAAGA/Z_fbS4CuvCY/s320/rand-paul+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYGiZDR5eaY/T2tGEviIhWI/AAAAAAAAAGI/LWaqZwS7WK0/s1600/rand-paul+10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYGiZDR5eaY/T2tGEviIhWI/AAAAAAAAAGI/LWaqZwS7WK0/s320/rand-paul+10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pfflGrHeKpQ/T2tGFeqYG8I/AAAAAAAAAGM/LTYqtxK-SRg/s1600/rand-paul+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pfflGrHeKpQ/T2tGFeqYG8I/AAAAAAAAAGM/LTYqtxK-SRg/s320/rand-paul+11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3dXTS7HKPo/T2tGF-KDvWI/AAAAAAAAAGY/m1FEUhZqn6c/s1600/rand-paul+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3dXTS7HKPo/T2tGF-KDvWI/AAAAAAAAAGY/m1FEUhZqn6c/s320/rand-paul+12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVk-yFj-p88/T2tGGnbVbJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/bENcGY2mrFw/s1600/rand-paul+13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVk-yFj-p88/T2tGGnbVbJI/AAAAAAAAAGc/bENcGY2mrFw/s320/rand-paul+13.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xQUlCilbQuA/T2tGHWobYHI/AAAAAAAAAG0/uxtRsM5kDAg/s1600/rand-paul+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xQUlCilbQuA/T2tGHWobYHI/AAAAAAAAAG0/uxtRsM5kDAg/s320/rand-paul+14.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m7qRuY6kii8/T2tGPjPE-fI/AAAAAAAAAG8/bTPa1n2oN6k/s1600/rand-paul+15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m7qRuY6kii8/T2tGPjPE-fI/AAAAAAAAAG8/bTPa1n2oN6k/s320/rand-paul+15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUOessdYh0o/T2tGP1ePzsI/AAAAAAAAAHE/bWrQ6V-pn9o/s1600/rand-paul+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUOessdYh0o/T2tGP1ePzsI/AAAAAAAAAHE/bWrQ6V-pn9o/s320/rand-paul+16.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXA_6xf2esk/T2tGQdZXqTI/AAAAAAAAAHM/M6Bgiwo5TKg/s1600/rand-paul+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXA_6xf2esk/T2tGQdZXqTI/AAAAAAAAAHM/M6Bgiwo5TKg/s320/rand-paul+17.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vC2nkg7zu8c/T2tGRH2cbBI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2Sltdc8Gky4/s1600/rand-paul+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vC2nkg7zu8c/T2tGRH2cbBI/AAAAAAAAAHU/2Sltdc8Gky4/s320/rand-paul+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wi0deyknNrI/T2tGRkmMfoI/AAAAAAAAAHc/YI4kIbTGKrs/s1600/rand-paul+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wi0deyknNrI/T2tGRkmMfoI/AAAAAAAAAHc/YI4kIbTGKrs/s320/rand-paul+5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IUxPmf0IeVw/T2tGSVQEUII/AAAAAAAAAHk/coiXsQi6pas/s1600/rand-paul+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IUxPmf0IeVw/T2tGSVQEUII/AAAAAAAAAHk/coiXsQi6pas/s320/rand-paul+6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnGIPBp3kM/T2tGS3rN-FI/AAAAAAAAAHs/oxXiCCNKh6Q/s1600/rand-paul+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SrnGIPBp3kM/T2tGS3rN-FI/AAAAAAAAAHs/oxXiCCNKh6Q/s320/rand-paul+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k6uyeWZFb6I/T2tGTYyrO5I/AAAAAAAAAH0/IT8mWuMDxvg/s1600/rand-paul+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k6uyeWZFb6I/T2tGTYyrO5I/AAAAAAAAAH0/IT8mWuMDxvg/s320/rand-paul+8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWFIiz6dhCI/T2tGT5I1VUI/AAAAAAAAAH8/wdNAI_V4-w4/s1600/rand-paul+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PWFIiz6dhCI/T2tGT5I1VUI/AAAAAAAAAH8/wdNAI_V4-w4/s320/rand-paul+9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-73388422384443160492012-03-21T12:45:00.000-04:002012-03-21T12:45:21.825-04:00The Market Provides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jk-wqGLses/T2oEUna73lI/AAAAAAAAAFw/QlZwdj6JfNc/s1600/TheDude-736912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4jk-wqGLses/T2oEUna73lI/AAAAAAAAAFw/QlZwdj6JfNc/s320/TheDude-736912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I received a lot of emails after my last Mises Daily <a href="http://mises.org/daily/5952/Hank-Hill-vs-the-Bureaucrats" target="_blank">article</a>.<br /><br />Here's a really good one and my response:<br /><br /><br /><div class="ecxWordSection1"><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><i>"Hi Austin,</i></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><i>I enjoyed reading your article in the Mises Daily email today and have been doing a lot of reading and pondering over the last months.&nbsp; Slowly I’m gaining a better understanding of Austrian economics.&nbsp; I do struggle a bit when I start thinking about what central and local governments <u>should</u> be doing (there’s generally a lot of emphasis that governments are doing too much but not specifically on what the core role of the government <u>is</u>), and the water supply issue in your article is an example.&nbsp; I’m not trying to criticise, just trying to understand in my own mind some of the practicalities.&nbsp; In a free market with multiple water vendors, surely there’s still only a single system of pipework to deliver the water to my house, so I wouldn’t actually be getting the water produced by my vendor of choice.&nbsp; Also, as it wouldn’t make sense for each vendor to lay their own piping, how can there be a competitive situation with the piping system?&nbsp; Is that not where the government needs to play a part?</i></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><i>Sorry to get into details, and this is a bit off-topic from your article, but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.</i></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10.0pt;">thanks &amp; kind regards,<br /><br />Ron"</span></i></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><i></i></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: &quot;Verdana&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif;">Ron</span>, </span></span></span></span>I have absolutely no idea how a free market water distribution system would work.&nbsp; People want water and entrepreneurs would be clamoring to provide them with water because entrepreneurs want to make money.&nbsp; I have full faith that an efficient, high-quality system would smoothly emerge.&nbsp; I don't see why there couldn't be multiple pipe systems, but who knows, it might turn out that using underground pipes isn't even the best method of delivery.<br /><br />The good news is that if a water-delivery entrepreneur did a lousy job he would go out of business; government doesn't go out of business so we're stuck whether they do good or bad.<br /><br />Just thinking about government water services I have to conclude that they're are doing a completely terrible job.&nbsp; Where I live <i>nobody</i> drinks the tap water.&nbsp; It has dangerous levels of chlorine, fluoride, sulfur, dirt, etc.&nbsp; If people are trying to avoid a product instead of happily consuming it, I have to conclude that it's not a very good product.<br /><br />Fortunately, the free market provides.&nbsp; We can go to any supermarket and find entire isles of pure, clean water from all different sources of the world and even in different flavors.&nbsp; The market also provides us with great filters that we can use to treat the government water for drinking and you can even get filters for your shower.&nbsp;</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">-Austin </div></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-22841611947360069532012-03-19T18:26:00.003-04:002012-03-19T18:37:10.693-04:00Done With Hacktarians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XB_B2gW_SeU/T2eyUxn-GPI/AAAAAAAAAFo/mhXsWao5TYg/s1600/What-makes-a-politician-corrupt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XB_B2gW_SeU/T2eyUxn-GPI/AAAAAAAAAFo/mhXsWao5TYg/s320/What-makes-a-politician-corrupt.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Former Orange County, FL mayoral candidate Matthew Falconer is running for office again.&nbsp; This time the Falconer seeks to swoop down and win the position of state representative in Florida’s 44<sup>th</sup> district.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Right on cue Falconer is already out promoting himself to local libertarian groups such as the Orange County Campaign for Liberty organization, hoping to dupe some of them into exhausting their time, energy, and money into a campaign entirely devoid of any libertarian principles.&nbsp; Fortunately, the Orange County Campaign for Liberty members are likely either to focused on the Ron Paul campaign or to burned-out on elections to give Falconer much attention.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I greatly admire and am grateful for the Orange County Campaign for Liberty group.&nbsp; For several years it has acted as an umbrella organization for many different methods of libertarian activism including heroic civil disobedience, holding criminal police accountable, informing thousands of jurors about jury nullification at the Orange County courthouse, protesting the TSA at Orlando International Airport, and organizing the annual Florida Liberty Summit three years in a row – bringing in not only Ron Paul to speak, but Misesians Tom Woods, Tom DiLorenzo, Laurence Vance, and Yuri Maltsev.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">However, the group, or perhaps only the group leadership, has repeatedly made the error of cozying up to and even actively promoting scumbag politicians who care nothing about the principles of liberty and pay only limited lip service to the word in order to get invited to Campaign for Liberty events.&nbsp; Such freshmen politicians are parasites seeking to recruit the labor of the CFL activists – knowing full well that they will likely betray the activists once they are no longer needed.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Take the example of the blatantly statist theoconservative state representative Scott Plakon.&nbsp; For several years, Florida CFL tolerated his statist, unlibertarian views.&nbsp; They invited him to speak and share the stage with the great Ron Paul two years in a row at the Florida Liberty Summit.&nbsp; They allowed him to promote himself at the smaller local meetings.&nbsp; They got him stage time at a big Tenth Amendment Center event alongside great libertarian thinkers like Tom Woods and Tom Mullen.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The idea was that even though he’s not a libertarian (at all), through extensive flattering from libertarians he would eventually be won over and converted to libertarianism.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How did that investment pay off?&nbsp; This past January, Plakon <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGKuEWbPoN4">endorsed Rick Santorum</a>, perhaps the most grotesquely statist presidential candidate, for the Republican nomination instead of Ron Paul.&nbsp; Talk about a failed plan.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2009, much of the Orange County CFL group was seduced by Falconer, who has claimed to be a libertarian, into working hard for his mayoral campaign.&nbsp; Included in Falconer’s original platform was a particularly disturbing plan to greatly expand the already totalitarian Orlando police-state.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As Paul Watson <a href="http://www.prisonplanet.com/florida-candidate-for-mayor-wants-1000-strong-youth-spy-force.html">detailed</a> then, the primary plank of Falconer’s platform was starting a Nazi-Germany-like youth law enforcement program where a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">thousand</i> young people would be hired to patrol neighborhoods and report suspicious activity to police.&nbsp; You’d think a libertarian-leaning political candidate would at least be campaigning on a message of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reducing</i> the presence of government in people’s lives, not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">expanding</i> it.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I can only conclude that Falconer is a liar when he promotes himself as some sort of saint of fiscal sanity and small government as he was simultaneously promoting this kid cops program that he himself said would cost Orange County taxpayers an additional $2.5 million a year (no explanation as to how he arrived at that number was ever provided).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I must also conclude that Falconer is a liar when he <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qctwsuNFtKU">claims</a> to be a well-read student of economist Friedrich Hayek, but said, as part of his sales pitch of this program, that this hiring of a thousand people into parasitic government jobs would alleviate unemployment.&nbsp; (See Tom DiLorenzo on this subject <a href="http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/why-government-jobs-programs-destroy-jobs/">here</a>.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So what is Falconer’s platform this time?&nbsp; It consists of <a href="http://www.matthewfalconer.com/issues.html">three issues</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">First, he supports improving the efficiency of government as a step towards lowering taxes. There is no mention at all of abolishing or reducing parts of the government nor is there any explanation of how exactly he would make government more efficient.&nbsp; I must conclude that his first plank is bunk.&nbsp; Socialism can’t be made more efficient and government can’t be run like a business.&nbsp; As Murray Rothbard <a href="http://mises.org/daily/2396">notes</a>:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A government service can <i><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">never</span></i> be run as a business, because the <i><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">capital</span></i> is conscripted from the taxpayer. There is no way of avoiding that.&nbsp; Secondly, private enterprise gains a profit by <i><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">cutting costs</span></i> as much as it can. Government need not cut costs; it can either cut its service or simply raise prices. Government service is always a monopoly or semi-monopoly</i>.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Second, Falconer plans to “restore faith in government” by introducing an “ethics reform bill” that will bring integrity back into politics.&nbsp; Brilliant!&nbsp; Write up a piece of paper telling politicians to stop being corrupt, get it passed, and they will immediately turn into angels! &nbsp;Don’t basically all politicians in America already take the oath of office and swear to uphold the Constitution and all that?&nbsp; Doesn’t seem to work very well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Third, Falconer will “improve education by driving more dollars into the classroom.”&nbsp; No mention of abolishing public schools, lifting regulations off private schools, or even a sell-out voucher program.&nbsp; Nope, we just need to tinker around with the public education bureaucracy a little bit.&nbsp; Simply pay administrators less and teachers more and all will be fine.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://matthewfalconer.com/media.html">Proudly displayed</a> in the media section of his website is his photo and endorsement from war-mongering, police-statist, New Deal-praising Newt Gingrich.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Can we stop supporting these phony, creep politicians already?&nbsp; Think of all the millions of irreplaceable labor hours and hundreds of millions of dollars forever wasted on these hacktarian politicians’ campaigns.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The only use the political system has to the libertarian movement is the spotlight it can provide one with to spread the philosophy of liberty.&nbsp; If a candidate is either not spreading the philosophy or is spreading a watered-down, unrecognizable version of it, they are not worth anybody’s time.&nbsp; Turn down the offer to work on the campaign and just read <i>Man</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Economy, and State</i> instead – chances are goods you’ll be smarter than 90% of politicians after the first three chapters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We need to completely ostracize politicians from the liberty movement.&nbsp; Get these scumbags the hell away before they cause it to sell-out even more.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">********************</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Responses to Common Objections</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">1)<span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> “We’ll be able to control the politicians if we’re the ones who got them elected.”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No, you won’t.&nbsp; The overwhelming majority of politicians are either stupid, corrupt, evil, self-interested, dishonest, power-hungry, sociopathic, egotistical, or all of the above.&nbsp; The only reason why they would ever even pretend to care what you think is so you’ll donate all your time, money, and energy to them.&nbsp; Once the politician is in office his need for you will be just about non-existent.&nbsp; Most politicians are incumbents for a good long while and don’t go anywhere but further up the political ladder.&nbsp; It is also once the politician has been elected that the bribes and blackmailing come in - exponentially raising the temptation to sell out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If the hyper-active Ron Paul Revolution couldn’t stop Rand Paul from voting for sanctions on Iran, then you don’t have a chance in the world of influencing some creep like Matthew Falconer once he’s in there.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Libertarians who believe they can somehow become the puppet masters of non-libertarian politicians, or even libertarian politicians, are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">completely</i> fooling themselves – especially if you’re not wealthy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b>2)</b><span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-size: small;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font: 7pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"> </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Well, they may not be libertarians… but they’re the best we have!”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">How this is even a legitimate qualification is beyond me. &nbsp;&nbsp;Political-process-libertarians may as well say “Well, he may not be Ron Paul, but he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> the best guy we have in the Nazi Party right now.&nbsp; We need to pour all of our resources into getting this guy elected so we can take control of the Nazi Party and come 0.01% closer to turning it into a party of radical libertarianism.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah right, dude.&nbsp; The lesser of two evils is still evil.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-35223327755333459112012-03-08T13:03:00.000-05:002012-03-08T13:03:20.433-05:00What About When the Government Does Good Things?by Austin White<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wk5O7ScSHF0/T1j0WvL_n1I/AAAAAAAAAFg/i4c_sD7084o/s1600/good-gov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="167" width="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wk5O7ScSHF0/T1j0WvL_n1I/AAAAAAAAAFg/i4c_sD7084o/s320/good-gov.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Consider the occasional scenario where the police actually do catch a bad guy or reacquire a person’s recently stolen property.<br /><br />Libertarians are so used to discussing the evils of the State that we can often be left speechless when the government actually does something good. Statists quickly respond “See! Government isn’t evil!” New libertarians may be left questioning the philosophy of liberty, concluding that there may be holes in it.<br /><br />These scenarios are not examples of government doing good, but simply examples of government acting less evil.<br /><br />If A steals B’s TV, B is perfectly justified in using force against A to get the TV back. B may hire a private investigator to aid him in tracking down A and B may ask people to voluntarily contribute money to fund this operation. B may not, however, compel C to help pay for his cause – B may not tax C. B may not lock C up in a dungeon if C doesn’t agree to contribute. B may not kill C if C resists being locked in a dungeon. <br /><br />Apply this logic to government and it is quickly revealed that even when the government does something good, it first must commit the evil act of taxation to fund the procedure. People who resist paying the taxes will be jailed and those who sufficiently resist being jailed will be killed. <br /><br />On top of funding its activities with violent taxation, government prohibits private institutions from fully entering the security and justice markets. <br /><br />Sure, we have private security agencies like the ones that patrol big parking lots, gated communities, and Disney Land – in fact, the majority of all security in America is private and funded with voluntary user fees - but they are entirely subordinate to the government monopoly on security and adjudication. Private producers of security in America are only permitted to act within the small boundaries that the State allows them to. Because of these imposed restrictions by the State, no private security firm is currently capable of providing truly adequate services or else they would be shut down.Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-80374903762663969672012-02-29T15:03:00.001-05:002012-04-01T10:09:15.459-04:00Response to a Lame Attack on Non-Interventionism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfKpySqQYfo/T06DDvXOmuI/AAAAAAAAAFU/t8Ff2gVII3M/s1600/aa-Iran-Iraq-repaced-w-Iran-good-one.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CfKpySqQYfo/T06DDvXOmuI/AAAAAAAAAFU/t8Ff2gVII3M/s320/aa-Iran-Iraq-repaced-w-Iran-good-one.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Thanks very much to John Kurtz for having me on his great radio show on this topic.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Part 1</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sukG-ZlujMo?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Part 2<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/pqIw3hBmZsw?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">I was recently presented with the following question in regard to the mess developing between the U.S., Israeli, and Iranian governments:&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is standing by and refusing to act while harm befalls a neighbor a virtue?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Restated in the specific context with the countries’ names included and it reads something like:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is it right for America to stand by and refuse to act while Iran attacks Israel?</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I won’t elaborate too much on the facts that:&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Iran has yet to initiate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">any</i> kind of aggressive act against America or Israel despite enduring provocations to do so for years.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Iran completely lacks the means to pose any kind of real threat to any other country even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">if</i> it desired&nbsp; to.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Iran is outgunned by the U.S. and Israel by about a million to one and knows full well that any kind of aggressive act against the U.S. or Israel would be sure suicide.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Defense Secretary<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Leon Panetta is on <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/2102-3460_162-57354647.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody">record</a> in the past six weeks saying Iran is not<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">trying </i>to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>develop a nuclear weapon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-The U.N. and its International Atomic Energy Agency “<a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/iaea-we-found-nothing-to-worry-about-at-secret-iran-nuke-site-1.4702">found nothing to worry about</a>” at Iran’s uranium enrichment site.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">-Iran’s borders are surrounded by <a href="http://robertjprince.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/iran-us-bases-2.jpg"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">forty-five</i></a> U.S. military bases.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Iran is actually the victim of aggression in this developing scenario ever since the U.S. began <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIO-4v8qpYc">imposing coercive sanctions</a> on Iran, i.e., preventing goods and services from getting to regular Iranian people – &nbsp;people who have far more in common with us Americans than our own government does.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">- Benjamin Netanyahu gave an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ljxQn5nm8A">address</a> to Congress last year saying Israel can defend itself and doesn’t need American military aid.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-The American State is the only government in the history of the world to use nuclear weapons against another country, instantly vaporizing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hundreds of thousands</i> of innocent people, and possesses absolutely no moral authority to go around judging other governments over their weaponry.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-Ron Paul, perhaps the most anti-war presidential candidate in the entire history of America and the most outspoken opponent of war against Iran, receives more donations from active-duty soldiers than Obama, Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich <a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/ron-paul-military"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">combined</i></a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">No, I will judge this case assuming that every bit of the lies and war <a href="http://blog.independent.org/2012/02/23/insinuation-as-war-propaganda/">propaganda</a> spewing from those who desire to see innocents slaughtered in another evil war is completely true and factual –because even then a war against Iran is not justified.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Let us pretend for a moment that Iran does possess a nuke.&nbsp; So what?&nbsp; Is Iran not a sovereign country?&nbsp; America has nukes.&nbsp; Israel has nukes.&nbsp; Why can’t Iran have nukes?&nbsp; Why is one country allowed to have nukes, but not another country?&nbsp; Why is it that the American government is the sole decider of who can and can’t have nuclear weapons?&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Americans who believe it is the role of the U.S. government to go <a href="http://www.fff.org/comment/AdamsPolicy.asp">abroad in search of monsters to destroy</a> are subscribers to an evil nationalist philosophy of American Exceptionalism, which holds that America is a superior country composed of a superior class of people and for that reason America may go around hypocritically condemning and attacking other countries for doing things the American government itself does.&nbsp; Americans are the best, our government is the best, and foreigners are just a subhuman, homogeneous blob that we may impose “our” political opinions on.&nbsp; America is allowed to boss other countries around, but not the other way around, of course, and if they resist America’s control and instead seek independence from the U.S. government’s dominion, “we” are somehow morally permitted to obliterate them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s ironic that America imposes coercive sanctions on Iran when it was Britain’s interfering with the American colonies’ trading that contributed to the initiation of the Revolutionary War.&nbsp; Was the American founding generation wrong to throw off Britain’s control?&nbsp; Should they have just shut up and obeyed King George the way Iranians are supposed to obey King Bush or King Obama?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Why in the world would Iran not acquire a nuke?&nbsp; A quick examination of America’s foreign policy over the last half century clearly reveals that the U.S. government almost exclusively picks fights with defenseless third-world countries and leaves alone countries that actually do have nukes and can put up a fight.&nbsp; You only have to look one country west of Iran to see shattered, destroyed Iraq and understand that Iran acquiring a nuke is completely understandable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now let us ponder the scenario where Iran is on the literal verge of attacking Israel.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This brings us back to the initial question “is standing by and refusing to act while harm befalls a neighbor a virtue?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For starters it is worth mentioning that this suggestion of Israel being an ally is contrary to the founding principles of America.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance17.html">stated</a> in his first inaugural address that American foreign policy should consist of "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">entangling alliances with none</i></b>." (Emphasis added)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">George Washington warned in his <a href="http://www.postwtc.com/gw-fwa.html">farewell address</a>&nbsp; against "permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Opponents of a non-interventionist foreign policy should be prepared to publicly denounce the advice of Washington and Jefferson as kooky and dangerous if they are going to use such labels against Ron Paul and his supporters.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Non-interventionists are not cold-hearted, apathetic people who simply wish to see other countries perish in wars.&nbsp; Non-interventionists oppose entangling alliances precisely because they only serve to exacerbate international conflicts, make wars more likely, and make wars larger and involving more countries.&nbsp; It is the non-interventionists who have performed the deep thinking on this matter, not the jingoists who hate and agitate for war against whoever their government tells them to hate and fear.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The sole purpose of the U.S. military is to defend the U.S., not defend other countries.&nbsp; A war is not defensive if it involves soldiers leaving the borders of their home country. &nbsp;&nbsp;A war is not defensive if the country claiming to defend launches a preemptive strike.&nbsp; A preemptive strike, as the warmongers prescribe “we” hit Iran with, is an act of aggression, making the government who launches the preemptive attack the actual aggressor.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Individual Americans who worry about Israel are completely free to donate their money to the country and even go and volunteer to fight, but they may not use the U.S. government to compel other Americans to pay for Israel’s defense.&nbsp; There is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nothing</i> honorable or courageous about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">forcing </i>people to fund a cause they may not agree with or feel has nothing to do with them.&nbsp; In fact, it is grossly immoral.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As Murray Rothbard explains in his timeless and heroic essay <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard26.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War, Peace, and the State</i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, </i>if Jones is being aggressed against by Smith, it is perfectly legitimate for Jones to use violence to repel Smith’s aggression.&nbsp; It would not be legitimate for Jones, however, to compel other innocent third parties to aid him.&nbsp; People may voluntarily contribute resources to Jones’s effort, but Jones may not force others to contribute their labor or money to his cause.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;“Is standing by and refusing to act while harm befalls a neighbor a virtue?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Is it virtuous to use coercive taxation to make other people pay for your cause against their will?&nbsp; Is it virtuous to throw them in jail if they don’t pay up?&nbsp; Is it virtuous to kill them if they resist being jailed?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-45364816815665194192012-02-17T10:27:00.000-05:002012-02-17T10:27:24.496-05:00Against College Cultism Part II: Responses to Common Objections<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">My first <a href="http://www.financialbell.com/against-college-cultism/">article</a> on the subject of college ended up being very long, so I chopped the last half off and made this part II article out of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are the common reactions I received, and continue to receive, due to my decision to withdraw from college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Most people go to college, so you should too.”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Could it be that the absolute dumbest reason for going to college could also be the most popular?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I think this reason is in the background of every other reason people give for going to college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>“Hey, this is what the majority of people do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The majority can’t be wrong and anyone who doesn’t go along with the majority must be wrong. “</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If the majority jumped off a bridge, would you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Neither would I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>In fact, the best life advice you can give yourself right now is to always be weary of what the majority is doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Most people: are in heavy debt, are depressingly bored with their lives, and aren’t doing with their lives what they wanted to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Don’t take advice from people who aren’t living the lives they wanted to when they were younger, unless you want to end up in the same situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Just think of the majority as a bunch of zombies ready to follow whatever path the government-brainwashers set them on and you’ll be fine.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“If you drop out you’ll never be able to go back”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This one is just laughable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The logic behind it goes something like this: if you drop out you’ll likely get into some kind of trouble like getting a girl pregnant and you’ll be forced to work fifty hours a week at some low-paying job you hate, you’ll never be able to go to college again because all your money is going to support a family, and you won’t be able to afford to reduce your work hours in order to attend classes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But can’t all of that happen if you are going to college?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">People seem to think that upon enrolling in college a shiny blue force field bubble immediately forms around you that will protect you from screwing your life up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fact is you can go back anytime you want.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You have infinite, unlimited chances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The colleges will still be there happily willing and ready to take your money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>People who raise the fallacious objection that you won’t be able to go back are probably just cowardly, lazy, stupid, and stagnant people who simply can’t imagine themselves being able to drop out and then one day return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pity them for having such uninspired attitudes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">E<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; </span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Envy</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">More and more we are hearing <a href="http://www.garynorth.com/public/department89.cfm">stories</a> about young people who go into horrid debts to finance their college education with the goal of scoring a spectacularly paying career, only to graduate and fail to find a job that pays more than $10/hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I know a girl whose sister earned not one but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">two </i>B.A. degrees and years after graduating the best job she’s been able to find is working at a movie theater.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">People in this situation are understandably bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>After getting their degrees they’re not a bit better off in the job market, only now they have a debt that will haunt them for years and possibly decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Some of these people also lose their souls and become monsters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They want to see other people wind up in their situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Instead of climbing out of their hole, they’d rather drag others into it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">These people do not want to see college dropouts surpass them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They will speak ill of and hate those who bypass college.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Even if they came out of college with no debt and did land a well -paying job, most college graduates are still hostile towards those of us who aspire to do great in life without getting a degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Because it makes them feel inadequate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They had to get a degree to do well in life; they don’t want to see people without degrees doing well nor do they want to see dropouts developing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enjoyable</i> careers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Current college students will also express this toxic attitude towards drop-outs because many of them, maybe even the majority, don’t want to be in college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They have no idea what they want to do, they have no interest in what they’re studying, they’re depressed that they might be committing themselves to a life they probably won’t like, but they’re afraid to take a risk and pursue a different path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I have my own name for these people: stay-ins.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Stay-ins just keep staying in college because they’re afraid to do anything that isn’t a part of the prepackaged one-size-fits-all life plan society expects them to follow.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Just get any degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It doesn’t matter what kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Getting a degree is all about showing employers that you’re willing to put in the time and hard work necessary to accomplish goals.”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Or it could show employers that you don’t understand the relationship between cost and benefit and don’t know what a good investment looks like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">You don’t actually accomplish much in college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You feel<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>like you’re actually accomplishing something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>You’re speeding through traffic to get to your morning class on time, you’re passing exams, and you had to write essays for three different classes last week, but at the end of the semester you have nothing to show for this labor other than a few extra letters on your transcript.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Having some employer references on your resume looks better to employers than these letters you slaved away for.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Without a degree you’ll forever work at McDonalds.”</b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">This is the most offensive one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>When someone says this to you they are literally calling you stupid to your face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They are saying you’re incapable of providing for yourself without a college education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I would say you should explain the meaning of this rude comment to anyone who utters it, but that would be a waste of time – just cut that person out of your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Give them three strikes maybe if you’re a kind person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m not kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I don’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’ll cut out anyone who says something like this to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>No one is sacred.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>****************</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Want to show you can accomplish something?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Then get out in the world and actually accomplish something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>My friend Alec is twenty-one. He was not an exceptional high school student and he dropped out of college after one part-time semester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Alec has his own aerial photography business now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He gets paid hundreds of dollars an hour to fly his RC helicopter around and take pictures for people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>This is an accomplishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Alec had to invest thousands of dollars that he saved from delivering pizza into building a state-of-the-art remote control helicopter that can fly for miles, thousands of feet above the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Alec also invested about $10,000 he made by delivering pizza into building a top-notch music recording rig and now he gets paid to produce bands and has even gained the written respect of a few famous music producers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">He didn’t have to have a professor threaten to fail him if he didn’t do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He did it through raw ambition and will, the whole time being told by his elders to drop it all and go to college.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If only his elders were aware that:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hey-college-seniors-this-is-whats-happening-to-your-peers-when-they-try-to-find-jobs-2011-4#for-many-of-you-your-degrees-wont-matter-one-third-of-you-will-land-full-time-jobs-that-dont-require-them-5">1/3 of college graduates are now ending up working full-time jobs that don’t even require a degree.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Students are now borrowing <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/college/story/2011-10-19/student-loan-debt/50818676/1">TWICE</a> as much money to fund their education than they were just a decade ago.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The average college student is now graduating with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/26/college-graduates-debt_n_854047.html">$25,000 worth of debt hanging around their neck</a> and the average amount of time it takes for these debts to be repaid is approaching <a href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/student-loan-debt-tops-credit-card-debt?refid=0">twenty years</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">More and more girls are engaging in “sugar daddy” <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/29/seeking-arrangement-college-students_n_913373.html">prostitution</a> to pay for their education.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">NYU sociologist Richard Arum conducted a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-01-18-littlelearning18_ST_N.htm?csp=hf&amp;loc=interstitialskip">study</a> involving 2,300 students at 24 different universities and found that after two years of “learning” 45% of students shows no signs of increased intelligence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In America (<a href="http://growth.newamerica.net/sites/newamerica.net/files/policydocs/26-04-11%20Middle%20Class%20Under%20Stress.pdf">go to page 7</a>), there are 107,457 janitors and 317,759 waiters with college degrees.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a <a href="http://collegeaffordability.blogspot.com/2010/10/underemployed-college-graduate.html">full one quarter</a> of all the retail sales people in America have college degrees.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hey-college-seniors-this-is-whats-happening-to-your-peers-when-they-try-to-find-jobs-2011-4#7-out-of-10-of-you-will-wish-you-had-prepared-more-for-the-real-world-during-school-1">70%</a> of college graduates report that they wished they had spent more time preparing for the real world while they were in school.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-56474712154518638202012-02-17T10:19:00.000-05:002012-02-17T10:19:07.389-05:00Is Paul Gilbert a Libertarian?<!--[if !mso]> <style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> 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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been a fan of guitarist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilbert">Paul Gilbert</a> since I was in middle school.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utX45YtmUE0/Tz5vaB35s3I/AAAAAAAAAFE/TCxLOo7Gbqk/s1600/17073_1289501593779_1117382642_30891186_6368757_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-utX45YtmUE0/Tz5vaB35s3I/AAAAAAAAAFE/TCxLOo7Gbqk/s1600/17073_1289501593779_1117382642_30891186_6368757_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">(Me and Paul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>2006?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>2007?)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In addition to being one of the best rock guitar players ever, Gilbert is also a superb song writer, singer, lyricist, and not a bad drummer or bassist – something that can’t be said of the great majority of “shred” guitar players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Most “shredders” usually never become known for anything other than their ability to mindlessly wank through scale shapes and sweep arpeggios.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There seems to be a positive relationship between guitarists’ speed and their <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lack</i> of talent in all the other aspects of music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>But not Gilbert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He has it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He was even one of the first DIY producers well over a decade ago, producing his own surplus of albums out of his home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gilbert has carved out his own small, but firm, place in the music market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He won’t ever be a household name, but he has near complete control over every aspect of his career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Little is outsourced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He cheaply produces the bulk of his albums out of his own home, reducing his production costs and therefore raising his profits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He’s been making his own line of very funny and very helpful instructional videos since he was a kid – which have not only probably brought in a lot of money, but have also probably acted as the best business card that could have ever been invented to advertise his music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And there’s never a shortage of bands and projects that Gilbert can join when he gets bored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He’s done sixteen solo albums, been a main contributor to twenty-one collaborative albums, appeared as a guest on thirty-nine other artists’ projects, and has released eighteen DVDs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>He’s been a non-stop productive musical entrepreneur since he was fifteen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kinda like how after you buy a certain car you all of a sudden start to notice other people driving that car around town, I became really sensitive to other people’s libertarianism after I discovered I was a libertarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It always feels awesome when you notice evidence that one of your role models shares your personal views and I was definitely pleased to find indications that Paul Gilbert… is a libertarian.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indication #1</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gilbert has an anti-cop song called “<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdsX6gjDySM">I’m Not Afraid of the Police</a>” (lyrics <a href="http://www.lyricsondemand.com/p/paulgilbertlyrics/imnotafraidofthepolicelyrics.html">here</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Any real libertarian hates cops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Cops are the only group within society who actually claim the official authority to routinely violate other people’s rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>As a heavy metal youngster it is very possible Gilbert had some run-ins with state enforcers that inspired this song.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indication #2</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Gilbert has recently and often been wearing a shirt that says “Voting is for Old People”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ9cnuXeAgc/Tz5vp7HBHWI/AAAAAAAAAFM/s5lMtorZHrA/s1600/gilbert+voting.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ9cnuXeAgc/Tz5vp7HBHWI/AAAAAAAAAFM/s5lMtorZHrA/s320/gilbert+voting.bmp" width="236" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;I won’t assume that Gilbert has read Hoppe’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Economics-Politics-Monarchy-Natural/dp/0765808684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1329490215&amp;sr=8-1">Democracy: The God that Failed</a>, </i>but a shirt like this does display a healthy disdain for politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It’s difficult to imagine any serious advocate of democratic statism wearing this shirt.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The sentiment behind this shirt is one also shared by the radical, pure anarchist libertarians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Lewrockwell.com, the best-read libertarian website in the world, has an entire <a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig2/non-vote-arch.html">section of articles</a> on the barbaric practice of settling society’s problems through mob rule.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">When the clothing store Urban Outfitters <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485150/urban-outfitters-peddles-political-irony.jhtml">carried this shirt</a> before the 2004 election, there was an outcry from the fanatical believers in mob rule about the shirt specifically because it was influencing young people to disrespect the idea of mob rule.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indication #3</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Paul Gilbert lived in Japan for several years, something that no flag-waiving, nationalist American would do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American soil is sacred and magical and anyone who leaves it is a damn traitor!</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">***</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Again I present these simply as indications that Paul Gilbert may have, at the least, libertarian leanings.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-22975371943765260722012-02-15T12:20:00.001-05:002012-02-15T12:24:47.048-05:00Hank Hill: Model Statesman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEIUe9YQwlY/TzvpBGX-Q0I/AAAAAAAAAE8/itPZ_M3Qa4k/s1600/hill.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dEIUe9YQwlY/TzvpBGX-Q0I/AAAAAAAAAE8/itPZ_M3Qa4k/s320/hill.bmp" width="193" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to Adult Swim re-airing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">King of the Hill </i>five nights a week I recently caught an old episode that has expanded my list of approved politicians to now feature two: Ron Paul and Hank Hill.&nbsp; The episode is <a href="http://www.movpod.in/b37qxd9twwbr"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Flush with Power</i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>(or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep6d2gn1l6Q">here</a>) from season four.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It makes sense that the only politician in American history whose integrity would rival Dr. Paul is a fictional cartoon character.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In this episode, the Texas town Arlen is experiencing a severe drought and the local government has instituted water rationing policies.&nbsp; Each household is permitted to only use a certain low amount of water each week until rain returns and an army of bureaucrats has been unleashed to patrol the neighborhoods of Arlen, randomly checking meters and cracking down on those who defy the ration.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rationing is a very typical measure imposed by central planners ignorant of economics.&nbsp; Much like the saying that only having a hammer influences a person to see everything as nails, city managers see every societal problem as something that can only be solved by the exercise of their power.&nbsp; As if they are wizards holding magical wands they believe each and every trouble in their jurisdiction can be fixed by regulations and policies.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This rationing policy is very bad news for Hank Hill.&nbsp; Hank has a lush lawn he proudly maintains, but this requires a lot of water.&nbsp; In order to stay within the restrictions of the ration and still leave his family with enough water for their needs Hank has to let his yard suffer.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">If, instead of rationing, the Arlen city government allowed the price of water to freely fluctuate according to supply and demand, people like Hank would be much better off.&nbsp; The price of water would rise, which would result in people who don’t value water as much reducing their consumption.&nbsp; This would leave more water left over for those who value the water more and are willing to pay the higher price.&nbsp; With rationing and price ceilings, yes the price is lower, but the supply is extinguished much faster.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">An even better solution would be for the city mangers of Arlen to completely denationalize water distribution and let the market handle it.&nbsp; Entrepreneurs would compete with each other over who can offer the highest quality water services for the lowest price and the victor would be awarded with the highest profits.&nbsp; This profit motive would make new innovations in water distribution much more likely.&nbsp; One entrepreneur might buy the rights to a water source in another well-hydrated territory and pipe it into Arlen.&nbsp; Another might invent a new, cheap way to desalinize the ocean water surrounding Texas.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another, more pitiful, solution the city managers of Arlen offer is the promotion of inefficient <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093979/Students-step-rivers-urine-green-bathrooms-plan-turns-high-school-yellow--cost-500-000-fix.html">low-flow toilets</a> being issued for “free”&nbsp; (at the expense of the taxpayers being forced to pay for them).&nbsp; This too is also a typical response of the central planners: reduce your quality of life by using lower-quality products, citizens, and shut up.&nbsp; Rather than owning up to the problem being the result of foolish government management, the bureaucrats place the blame on the citizens for using the “wrong” toilets.&nbsp; We not only see this with the American government on toilets now, but also with light bulbs and cars.<br /><br /><br />In the market you never hear entrepreneurs blaming their customers for problems.&nbsp; The customer is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> right and entrepreneurs have to slavishly find ways to continue pleasing the customer.&nbsp; If an entrepreneur held a press conference and told his customers that they need to quit complaining and learn to accept lower quality products he would go bankrupt overnight, but with government it is always about making the tax-slave citizens sacrifice and suffer and using violent force against those who refuse.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hank, desperate to have water for maintaining his lawn, breaks down and gets a low-flow toilet.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The toilets are immediately revealed to be inferior products – requiring many more flushes to dispose of waste than normal toilets.&nbsp; This is a typical result of the government’s remedies: not only are they usually unsuccessful, but they also exacerbate the problems they were allegedly intended to solve.&nbsp; All the extra flushing has resulted in the Hill family using much more water than they were using with the old “eco-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unfriendly</i>” toilet.&nbsp; When considered that by now a significant number of Arlen residents are using these low-flow toilets, the city has a genuine decivilization crisis developing.&nbsp; Their standard of living is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decreasing</i>. &nbsp;They have less water and their waste is harder to dispose of.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Very quickly Hank expresses his desire to get his old high-flow toilet back, but discovers the old high-flow toilets that are collected get smashed up and dumped into the ocean to aid in the development of coral reefs.&nbsp; When Hank stops by the hardware store to buy a new high-flow toilet he discovers that they have now been outlawed entirely in his county.&nbsp; This is similar to the quickly abandoned “cash for clunkers” program of the Obama regime that consisted of using tax dollars to buy perfectly functional, but “eco-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unfriendly</i>”, vehicles, destroy them beyond repair, and replace them with “eco-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">friendly</i>” cars.&nbsp; The decivilizing effects were and remain many.&nbsp; There were fewer used cars available on the market, which raised the price of used vehicles and hurt the poorer people who depend on the used car market to satisfy their transportation needs.&nbsp; Each and every tax dollar that was spent on this program is gone forever, leaving the economy as a whole poorer and our tax burden larger.&nbsp; And in the end it turns out the “eco-friendly” cars <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2011/jan/17/electric-car-emissions">aren’t even any better for the environment</a>.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rightfully angry that bureaucrats have made it illegal to, as Hank puts it, “install a working toilet in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your own</i> bathroom!” Hank decides to go to the next Board of Zoning and Resources meeting and lobby against their ban on high-flows.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As Hank begins making his case to the board, the head bureaucrat, Nate Hashaway, cuts him off and announces that in order to discuss an issue at the meeting it must be formerly added to the agenda, but only a board member may add subjects to the agenda.&nbsp; Hank is politely told to shut up and the gang of bureaucrats moves on to a more important matter – wishing one of their members a happy birthday.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hank’s powerlessness against his local government is quite reflective of American politics.&nbsp; Even the smallest, pettiest bureaucrats have no concern at all for the citizens they rule over. The political class doesn’t listen to reason. &nbsp;We’re simply expected to shut up and unconditionally obey their every foolish, illogical, and/or immoral command.&nbsp; If a local zoning board doesn’t care what you think, do you really think your congressman or senator does?&nbsp; For every one U.S. representative there are over 700,000 Americans.&nbsp; Your congressman, contrary to what he says in his campaign ads, does not care what you think.&nbsp; For every U.S. senator there are over <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">three million</i> American tax-slaves.&nbsp; How can one person possibly represent the interests of three million individuals?&nbsp; Your senator simply doesn’t worry about it, that’s how.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As the condition of his lawn worsens, Hank decides to run for office on a platform that consists completely of repealing the high-flow toilet ban.&nbsp; It turns out that a seat on the Board of Zoning and Resources has been empty for four years and Hank automatically wins the election upon submitting the paperwork.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hank introduces a motion to repeal the ban at his first meeting with the board.&nbsp; He’s shot down again.&nbsp; Nate Hashaway is a bit more defensive this time.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">After the meeting is adjourned and the members are leaving, Hashaway slyly asks to speak with Hank in private.&nbsp; Turns out Hashaway has a secret stash of high-flow toilets.&nbsp; He offers to give Hank one if he agrees to shut up about the toilet situation.&nbsp; Hank heroically turns the offer down due to the gross immorality of a lawmaker not following the laws he himself commands others to obey.&nbsp; Lawmakers seldom follow their own rules the way they say we must.&nbsp; One example is how elite congressmen and senators are often <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/no-security-pat-downs-for-boehner/">exempt</a> from the humiliating TSA search procedures the rest of Americans endure.&nbsp; Anti-gun politicians often use tax dollars to pay for armed security for themselves.&nbsp; Elite environmentalist seek to force us to reduce our fossil fuel consumption as they fly around on private jets that emit more carbon emissions in a single trip than most cars emit in a year.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">By now the lawn is nearly dead and Hashaway has launched a surveillance and blackmail operation against Hank, but Bobby Hill discovers some dirt on Hashaway just in time: Hashaway is the exclusive seller of the low-flow toilets.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Corporatism, also known as fascism, is collusion between businesses and the state and involves businesses bribing the government for unfair advantages that are absent in a free market.&nbsp; Examples include businesses lobbying for tariffs to protect from foreign competition (at the cost of domestic consumers having to pay more for goods), businesses lobbying for competitor’s products to be banned entirely (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-rB2eH9kU&amp;feature=player_embedded#%21">as with hemp and marijuana</a>), businesses lobbying for monopoly privileges where the government outlaws their competition through instituting barriers to entry in the market, or any other scenario where private interests use the government to gain advantages at the expense of consumers.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="st">Corporations often fear a free market because in this scenario there is no government there to protect them from new innovators and young entrepreneurs.&nbsp; In a free market, all businesses must be constantly on their toes, constantly innovating, and willing to evolve.&nbsp; Corporations instead frequently favor a vast regulatory-state that they can use to beat up their smaller competitors.&nbsp; (For a good example of Wal-Mart doing this with minimum wage laws, see Lew Rockwell </span><a href="http://mises.org/daily/1950">here</a><span class="st">.)</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This political thug Hashaway is using his government power to make people pay for his inferior toilets and then he bans the competing toilets.&nbsp; This is similar to the case of Michael “Skeletor” Chertoff promoting the installation of naked body scanners in airports during his time as the secretary of homeland security and then immediately going on to work as a well-paid consultant for the primary company that makes them.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not backing down, Hank reveals Hashaway’s conflict of interest at the second meeting with the board and again introduces a motion to repeal the high-flow ban, but this time he begins a filibuster before the voting finishes.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As Hank reads his wife’s very boring columns from the local newspaper the members of the board eventually start needing to use the restrooms.&nbsp; One by one they go and come back, obviously frustrated by the poor performance of Hashaway’s low-flow toilets.&nbsp; All the other board members can clearly hear each restroom occupant having to flush multiple times.&nbsp; After several hours, both the men’s and ladies’ rooms are out of order with broken toilets.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">All the board members, except Hashaway, vote for the repeal and toilet freedom is restored in Arlen.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Hank immediately resigns from the board.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-36742591937613351762012-02-10T11:07:00.001-05:002012-02-10T11:07:34.480-05:00Against College Cultism<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} span.textexposedshow {mso-style-name:text_exposed_show; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --></style> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">by Austin White</div>I mean no offense to people who go to college with the goal of becoming an academic.&nbsp; If you desire to be an economist, for instance, you are where you need to be.<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal">But if you don’t know what to do, a very common and understandable circumstance, there is nothing wrong with refraining from impulsively choosing some random degree to commit yourself to for five years (the average amount of time it now takes a person to earn a four-year degree).&nbsp; Such an act would be one of panic; not rational, calm decision making.&nbsp; The opportunity cost of college is gargantuan in both time and money.&nbsp; Ever year you spend doing busywork in college is a year lost forever that can no longer be spent developing a business, working full-time to accumulate capital, or any other activity you might like to experiment with.&nbsp; As you make more progress towards completing your college education it also becomes more difficult to leave and you are more likely to stick it out and just finish the degree – even if you have no interest in pursuing a career that has anything to do with what you studied.</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re experiencing the above scenario then dropping out may be a perfectly rational choice.&nbsp; But it won’t come without consequence.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Drop out of college and you are likely to be treated with nothing but negative reactions ranging from shame to disappointment and even envy.&nbsp; Drop out of college, or bypass it entirely, and chances are high that your position in the family tree will be tainted.&nbsp; Relatives will look at you as if you’ve just become addicted to heroin.&nbsp; Aunts, uncles, and cousins come together at family events and put on a mock intervention to get you back on track because, of course, anyone who does not attend college has surely got off on a wrong exit towards self-destruction.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t worry.&nbsp; Those responses are no more than exhibitions of these people’s poor attitudes and fallacious thinking. Ignore them entirely.&nbsp; Don’t even argue.&nbsp; Arguing is a waste of time and college graduates have already demonstrated that they are really good at wasting irreplaceable time, so don’t expect arguments with them to be brief.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">If you’re brave enough to go against the college cult and have decided that you have better things to do than waste years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of your money, your parents money, and tax payer dollars pretending to learn things about subjects you’re pretending to be interested in, then congratulations.&nbsp; But beware; you need to be ready to deal with the college cultists.</div><div class="MsoNormal">A cult it certainly is.&nbsp; People have a shockingly naïve faith in college being the door to a life of riches so much that many students seem to believe there is even a money-back guarantee.&nbsp; Kids go in, rich adults come out and that’s it.&nbsp; A pristine perfect plan if there ever was one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="textexposedshow">College graduates if anything are worse off because they come out with a sense of entitlement to a great paying job – a very bad state of mind to have during bad economic times.&nbsp;&nbsp; Any lower-paying job that doesn't involve what they studied is considered beneath them.&nbsp; After spending four or more years writing papers and taking exam they feel as if they’ve already done all the work necessary to prove themselves. &nbsp;Unfortunately, they forgot that it’s really about proving themselves in the market, unless they are aspiring tax parasites who want to work in government.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="textexposedshow">&nbsp;There is a generation of people about to be unleashed on the world who have never worked an entry-level job and have no idea what the real world even is.&nbsp; They’ve never had to meet the demands of customers and bosses who can fire an employee in an instant.&nbsp; I delivered pizza for three years and during that time some of my coworkers were college graduates or about to graduate.&nbsp; They had awful work ethics.&nbsp; Every part of the job was beneath them: answering the phones, taking out the trash, and even having a good attitude was too much to ask.&nbsp; They almost seemed to believe simply because they were in college they should be the automatic owners of the restaurant and not working in it despite the fact that for most of them it was their first job.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is quite alarming when you consider that currently 70% of high school graduates go onto college.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Sociologist Richard Arum conducted a <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/02/09/133310978/in-college-a-lack-of-rigor-leaves-students-adrift">study</a> involving 2,300 students at twenty-four different universities.&nbsp; 36% of students showed no improvement at all in their critical thinking abilities after four years of college.&nbsp; They came out not a bit smarter even after <i>four years </i>of taking classes. The unemployment rate among college graduates is only slightly better than those with only a high school education and just as many graduates are finding themselves working jobs that don’t require a degree.&nbsp; Despite all of this the price of a college education has risen 350% (adjusted for inflation) since 1980 and the debt a person incurs to pay for it is inescapable.&nbsp; An education can’t be repossessed the way a car or home can if the borrower can’t pay back.&nbsp; Student loan debt for the first time in American history is exceeding both credit card and home owner debt. </div><div class="MsoNormal">You might be better off going straight into the market without a college degree.&nbsp; Yes, college graduates still do better overall, but many will also have that debt to payback.&nbsp; If you bypass college you’ll be getting a huge head start in the real world.&nbsp; By the time your peers are graduating you’ll have already figured out how to progress and move up within your field.&nbsp; Employers don’t necessarily want smart college-educated employees; they want <i>productive</i> employees who will help them make more money.&nbsp; Only experience can give you this quality. </div><div class="MsoNormal">I spent three years in college and I can’t even remember 90% of my professors’ names.&nbsp; There was one teacher who demonstrated the evils of capitalism by holding up a can of Coca-Cola and saying “the fluid in this can costs less to make than the can it’s contained in, but yet they charge you a dollar!”&nbsp; It obviously never occurred to him that there are hundreds of competing beverages he can buy instead and he’s completely free not to buy the Coca-Cola.&nbsp; I took an elective course called <i>Government and Media </i>taught by a lady who thinks the FCC should completely regulate all media, even the internet, and that all TV channels should be a variant of NPR.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">My <i>U.S. Government</i> teacher should rename his course <i>Why I’m Infatuated with the State</i>.&nbsp; He lovingly described each and every department of the government as if he’s the one who thought them up and is currently in charge. &nbsp;The only thing wrong with the state, to him, is that it isn’t even more controlling and powerful. &nbsp;He had a little in-class election in 2008, I wrote in Ron Paul.&nbsp; A humanities teacher I had taught me that <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=IMGA0069.jpg">one of the causes of the Great Depression was individualism</a>, it grew worse because <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=IMGA0070.jpg">Hoover didn’t intervene at all</a>, and <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=IMGA0070.jpg">military Keynesianism is what ended the depression</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;On the midterm I wrote in the real causes of the Great Depression along with a big list of Austrian economists I would contact if he marked my answer incorrect.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The claim that college is a venue for the free and open discussion of ideas is a myth.&nbsp; Teachers hate and despise anyone who challenges them.&nbsp; They’ve been making a living regurgitating the same lectures every semester for over a decade and don’t want some kid refuting them because that could mean having to rewrite a lecture.&nbsp; I probably wouldn’t put any effort into my lessons either if I was a college professor. &nbsp;The average college student is either stoned, hung-over, just woke up five minutes ago, braindead from the prior thirteen years of government school indoctrination, or all of the above.&nbsp; Boys speak with a combination of grunts and gargle sounds and the girls speak only with giggle sounds.&nbsp; It’s also shocking how many of my peers didn’t work or had <i>never</i> worked a job.&nbsp; “I’m a student” is what you hear when you ask many of them what they do for work.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">My old economics professor does secret <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsi2MFapwNw">studies</a> on his students.&nbsp; The last one he did showed the great majority of his students want tax victims to pay for their healthcare, tuition, and the down payment on their future homes – not exactly indicators of a generation that plans on producing much.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of the twenty-five total classes I took I can honestly only remember useful concepts from <i>two</i> of them: a business law class and Jack Chambless’s economics class.&nbsp; But I could have learned all of those concepts without ever actually enrolling.&nbsp; All the business law teacher did was tell us to read the text book and then the next class he would orally skim through the book.&nbsp; He gets paid to read to people out loud.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jack Chambless puts high quality recordings of his lectures online for the entire world to view.&nbsp; Anyone can take his economics class without paying tuition and they would be getting exactly what his classroom students get.&nbsp; Buy his book, check out the pre-recorded lectures, and if you’re willing to pay enough I’m sure he’d be happy to arrange for some type of proctored testing if you really want to see how well you understand.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Or you could go to Mises.org and have access to thousands of hours worth of lectures by Murray Rothbard, Hans Hoppe, Walter Block, Robert Higgs, Tom DiLorenzo, Joe Salerno, and even a few by Mises himself.&nbsp; For no cost at all you can receive the same economics lessons that Murray Rothbard’s actual students got.&nbsp; You can even download <i>Man, Economy, and State </i>for free.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve learned more from Wikipedia alone than I learned in college and more and more people will be saying the same of <a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/">Khan Academy</a> and <a href="http://academy.mises.org/">Mises Academy</a> soon.&nbsp; The entire American education system is from the Stone Age.&nbsp; There is no reason for schools to be spending millions of dollars on new buildings and hiring professors to read textbooks out loud to people when the lecture can simply be recorded and uploaded to the internet for all to see for free in whatever venue the consumer prefers.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The American education system is in critical condition with an IV and feeding tube pumping tax-payer subsidies into its lifeless body as the accreditation cartel feebly stands between us and educational entrepreneurs who seek to offer us cheap, innovative ways to learn anything we want.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-36675739507240936502012-02-02T11:59:00.001-05:002012-02-11T13:39:43.015-05:00Is it the Lawmakers or Law Enforcers who are to Blame?<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --></style> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTGkS7pXC8k/TyrAjrK-zUI/AAAAAAAAAE0/fgjAmxgTDOo/s1600/riot_police_at_esphigmenou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hTGkS7pXC8k/TyrAjrK-zUI/AAAAAAAAAE0/fgjAmxgTDOo/s320/riot_police_at_esphigmenou.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Walter Block has a very interesting <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn6TXqgyj_M#t=37m32s">defense </a>of the inciter of a riot.&nbsp; He argues that a person who inspires others to commit violent acts is guilty of no violent act at all because the inciter is doing no more than engaging in free speech activity.&nbsp; The act of advocating violence is not a violent act and directly harms no one, therefore the inciter should not be held responsible for any chaos that ensues from his words.&nbsp; It is the fools who listen to and carry out the inciter’s wishes who should be held responsible.&nbsp; They were completely free to reject the inciter’s evil suggestions to loot or destroy, but instead voluntarily chose to do evil.</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a sound argument and many libertarians would agree with it, but fail to apply it consistently when it comes to the lower-level members of government – especially the police and military.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even among self-described libertarian friends I frequently hear excuses for the evils committed by police and soldiers.&nbsp; “They don’t know what they’re doing.”&nbsp; “They have to follow the lawmakers’ or their superiors’ commands.”&nbsp; “It’s not their fault; it’s the politicians’ faults.” </div><div class="MsoNormal">Perhaps it’s because more Americans than ever have a friend or relative who is a cop or soldier and they don’t want to rock the boat too much and lose that relationship.&nbsp; Maybe they daydream about converting their cop uncle and soldier cousin to liberty and so they tone down their libertarianism to make the philosophy appear more attractive to police and military men, knowing that the philosophy unadulterated condemns those chosen careers.</div><div class="MsoNormal">These motivations don’t change the fact that they are cutting cops and soldiers far too much undeserved slack and failing to hold them responsible for the evils they commit on behalf of the American State.&nbsp; Libertarians who do this are performing a disservice to the future of liberty because it is precisely allowing those who commit evil to get away without being held responsible that the evils continue.&nbsp; If cops and soldiers were instead condemned there would be a reduction in the evil they are willing to perform.</div><div class="MsoNormal">What are the legislatures, lawmakers, judges, generals, governors, and even the president of the State other than well-dressed and well-spoken inciters of violence?</div><div class="MsoNormal">It isn’t the legislatures kicking down doors and pointing guns at families during drug raids, pulling people over and taking hundreds of dollars from them for minor traffic offenses, and locking people up for years over marijuana possession.&nbsp; It isn’t the lawmakers out there using tasers, mace, clubs, fists, and guns to enforce and impose their political opinions on the citizens.&nbsp; It is the low-level cops who have voluntarily agreed to join and remain on the force with the job of doing whatever they’re told to do to whoever they’re told to do it to.&nbsp; The individual cops are fully responsible for the evils they commit on a daily basis; not the lawmakers.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t Bush and it isn’t Obama dropping bombs in the Middle East and mowing down civilians.&nbsp; Members of Congress aren’t putting on helmets.&nbsp; The generals aren’t pulling the triggers.&nbsp; It is the young men who have voluntarily agreed to join an evil organization and voluntarily carry out its every evil command.&nbsp; The blood of all the murdered innocent Iraqis and Afghanis is on the soldiers’ hands, not the “politicians who sent them there.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">It makes absolutely no difference if the cop or soldiers disagrees with the orders he’s following.&nbsp; If anything that is even worse because in that case they <i>know</i> the orders they’re carrying out are immoral, but continue anyway.</div><div class="MsoNormal">To take the argument further:&nbsp; Hitler never killed a single Jew.&nbsp; Not one.&nbsp; Hitler probably never killed anybody after becoming the fuehrer.&nbsp; It was the men who voluntarily agreed to invade other countries and operate the concentration camps.&nbsp; Hitler was no more than a very persuasive inciter of violence.&nbsp; No one had to listen to him.&nbsp; No Nazi soldier had to follow his commands.&nbsp; This truth was partly recognized during the Nuremberg Trials.&nbsp; “We were just following orders” was not accepted as an excuse because indeed they did <i>not</i> have to follow the orders.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But why is this not consistently applied to American police and military by Americans?&nbsp; Surely everyone believes that the Nazis should have disobeyed Hitler.&nbsp; 99% of the entire world is probably even of the opinion that the Nazi soldiers should have turned on and killed Hitler for even making such insane and evil commands.&nbsp; Hollywood movies have been made glorifying attempts by lower-level Nazis to remove Hitler of power.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ask people who proclaim to be opponents of the foreign wars or the domestic police-state and drug war if they think the individual soldiers and cops should be held fully responsible and given the same punishment a regular citizen would receive for bombing neighborhoods, tasering or beating innocent people, or breaking into homes with their guns drawn during a drug search and the majority of them will unfortunately deny this and say that it’s really the politicians’ faults – despite the fact that the politicians do no more than give speeches and write stuff on paper.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is precisely the fault of the cops and soldiers and it is precisely they who deserve to be condemned.&nbsp; The longer this is denied, the longer it will be before the herds of state enforcers begin to question their orders a little more.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-32027838560276339972012-01-27T13:14:00.000-05:002012-01-27T13:14:56.107-05:00Economic Illiteracy in the Amateur Music World<link 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Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal">By Austin White</div><div class="MsoNormal">January 27th, 2012</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N39W4vKfVVI/TyLplAhQ0TI/AAAAAAAAAEs/XYfPfeJ3ZRc/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N39W4vKfVVI/TyLplAhQ0TI/AAAAAAAAAEs/XYfPfeJ3ZRc/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">There has been a growing view of aspiring professional musicians on the internet that musicians should not have to work for free nor should they even be asked to work for free.<span>&nbsp; </span>They believe they are for some reason entitled to getting paid well for their work regardless of whether or not there is even a significant demand for their services.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The possibility that they individually might not be offering anything of great value to the world to get paid for never crosses their minds and they tend to believe there is some sort of capitalist conspiracy being perpetrated against them.<span>&nbsp; </span>Artists are also more likely to demand welfare (i.e. the government using violent force to steal money from one group of people and giving it to another) with either the view that they need a guaranteed income because they don’t have time to work a regular job due to their pursuing of musical goals or because, the very elitist view, that they are special creatures who are above working regular jobs and should just be provided with free money in return for their creative genius that the world should be grateful for. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Here is the <a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=386591_10150675067114478_813704477_12174880_39624953_n.jpg">latest picture</a> off the internet which perfectly illustrates the economic illiteracy of many artsy-types.<span>&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s a Craigslist ad by a small restaurant owner looking for live musicians to perform in the restaurant.<span>&nbsp; </span>The owner makes no money offer, but states that the performers are free to promote their own work and sell their CDs and if customers respond positively the performers will enjoy an increasing number of opportunities to perform and promote themselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Also included in the picture is a reply from a musician who is obviously appalled that he has even been asked to perform for free.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;</span>It’s quite a generous offer considering that the restaurant owner doesn’t owe any musician such an opportunity.<span>&nbsp; </span>The owner could simply play Top 40 music on a stereo, but instead chooses to share his customers with aspiring performers.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Everyone wins.<span>&nbsp; </span>The performer gets free advertising, a venue to perform in and sell CDs, and access to customers who have been drinking, eating, having a good time and are possibly more likely to buy the CDs on the spot than if they were browsing Amazon.<span>&nbsp; </span>The customers get to enjoy a unique dining experience with live music that can only be found at that particular restaurant at that particular time.<span>&nbsp; </span>The restaurant owner gets to enjoy whatever increase in sales the performers bring in.<span>&nbsp; </span>This is the owner’s reward for arranging this meeting between the performer and a new audience, and the audience and a new performer.<span>&nbsp; </span>He’s acted as a broker for the performer and deserves every penny of his increased profits.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But what if the performer doesn’t put on a good show?<span>&nbsp; </span>This is where the restaurant owner is revealed to be an even greater friend of the starving artist.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The restaurant owner is taking a great risk upon himself in order to arrange the meeting between the performer and his customers.<span>&nbsp; </span>What if he was wrong about live music enhancing his business?<span>&nbsp; </span>What if his customers turn out to hate live music while they eat?<span>&nbsp; </span>What if they do like live music, but hate the specific performers?<span>&nbsp; </span>What if he loses some customers over the experiment?<span>&nbsp; </span>What if he loses a lot of customers over it?<span>&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The only party in this arrangement that stands to lose is the restaurant owner.<span>&nbsp; </span>He must endure all the financial losses that may result from his decision to feature an amateur performer.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The performer on the other hand only stands to gain.<span>&nbsp; </span>He might sell a lot of CDs or he might sell very few CDs, but, unlike the restaurant owner, faces no risk of losing business.<span>&nbsp; </span>The performer bears no costs other than gas money and a few hours of his time – money and time that he’s completely free to decide whether or not to spend on this performance opportunity</div><div class="MsoNormal">If anything the restaurant owner is being foolishly <i>over-generous</i> to aspiring performers.<span>&nbsp; </span>The performers should <i>be paying</i> for the opportunity, not getting paid.<span>&nbsp; </span>If they’re actually good they’ll make back the performing fees in CD sales and tips.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-23823016169575340252012-01-24T14:54:00.000-05:002012-01-24T14:54:28.321-05:00Invade the Newspapers<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> 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mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span>&nbsp;<i>This article <a href="http://lewrockwell.com/orig13/white-a1.1.1.html">originally appeared</a> at the great Lewrockwell.com</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>by Austin White</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>January 24th, 2012</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>If you want to spread the message of liberty there are more efficient ways to do it besides waving Ron Paul signs on an overpass.<span>&nbsp; </span>On-the-ground grass roots activism is necessary and certainly has its place, but I would also say that the majority of it is pointless and wastes time, energy, and money.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Think about it, the goal of your activism should be to reach as many people as you can with as little effort as possible.<span>&nbsp; </span>If you work, go to school, or both, you're probably already running on a low tank and don't have a lot of time and energy left for spreading liberty - don't waste what's left by spending hours going door-to-door collecting signatures for some petition that your congressmen's secretary is just going to use as a beverage coaster.<span>&nbsp; </span>Don't spend hours trying to reason with some neocon cousin on facebook.<span>&nbsp; </span>None of this accomplishes anything except draining your batteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Writing articles and getting them published is the most efficient and effective activism a normal person can do.<span>&nbsp; </span>It takes little time, minimal physical energy, and requires no money, yet you can realistically reach hundreds of thousands of people with a <i>single </i>article.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>When you write articles you're also doing something that benefits you personally. Gradually developing your writing could possibly lead to a new career, or at least a really cool side job or hobby.<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>Getting published a few times could lead to getting published often to eventually getting paid to write.<span>&nbsp; </span>As you develope a portfolio of accomplishments it will only get easier to market your work.<span>&nbsp; </span>Other people will respect your opinion more and listen to you.<span>&nbsp; </span>Getting published will boost your confidence to proceed further.<span>&nbsp; </span>And you're getting full credit for your labor.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Personally benefitting and getting clear credit for your activism is essential to avoiding burn out in the long run.<span>&nbsp; </span>Getting paid for your effort is even better.<span>&nbsp; </span>Writing can accomplish these things.<span>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>You don't have to have a long list of impressive credentials either.<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span>A little over a year ago I got an </span><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=156235_1677074362856_1117382642_31832327_5320620_n.jpg"><span>article</span></a><span> published in the Orlando Sentinel (with a readership, I've heard, of almost 250,000 people) about why young people should be against socialized health care.<span>&nbsp; </span>That's right, a pizza delivery guy with a lousy college attendance record and no academic credentials at all was able to pull that off.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I spent about three hours total writing and revising the article, submitted it, and two weeks later saw my face in the paper next to the article.<span>&nbsp; </span>The article was actually pretty controversial and led to about a week-long discussion of my views.<span>&nbsp; </span>The online version had about 100 debating comments under it.<span>&nbsp; </span>One of the Sentinel's staff writers wrote an article soon after attacking me and then this guy Martin Kessler wrote a </span><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v600/axeshredder/?action=view&amp;current=155944_1677072602812_1117382642_31832324_2731715_n.jpg"><span>letter</span></a><span> to the editor defending me against the attack.<span>&nbsp; </span>I later found out that Martin Kessler is an economist who used to work for Ronald Reagan.<span>&nbsp; </span>Pretty cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>If I was successful in converting just 10% of readers, that's 25,000 people.<span>&nbsp; </span>Even if it was just 1%, that's still 2,500 people.<span>&nbsp; </span>Even if I didn't reach anybody, it gave me something cool to put on my resume.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>You could wake up more people by getting an article published in some kind of mainstream publication than you would have doing years' worth of conventional grass-roots activism.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Follow these simple guidelines and you can get published too:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>1 - STOP RANTING ON FACEBOOK.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Every single libertarian could easily crank out an article a week if they put their Facebook ranting energy into real writing.<span>&nbsp; </span>I've seen so many regular, average people post amazing philosophical statuses that could easily have been developed into essays. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>When you post your deep libertarian thoughts on Facebook you're basically flushing great writing material down the toilet.<span>&nbsp; </span>You have this witty thought explaining why taxation is evil, you have the urge to express it, but instead of opening up a word processor and fully fleshing the thought out you put in on Facebook.<span>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>The reason I say you're wasting it is because by posting the thought on Facebook<span>&nbsp; </span>you've satisfied your urge to express the opinion and you're less likely to do anything with it again. Your brain checks off that task and says "all done!"<span>&nbsp; </span>What could have been the opening paragraph in a ground breaking article is forgotten as just another Facebook status.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>2 - WRITE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>You're better off sitting down and writing for thirty minutes a day every day than not writing anything for a month and then going on a two-day long writing binge.<span>&nbsp; </span>Writing takes practice just like any other skill and expecting to just jump in and be great at it will lead to discouragement.<span>&nbsp; </span>Think of all your writings as nothing more than practice and each article you write as nothing more than an exercise.<span>&nbsp; </span>If it gets published, great.<span>&nbsp; </span>If not, oh well it was just practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Consistency is key.<span>&nbsp; </span>Good musicians don't go three weeks without practicing, then suddenly pull a twelve-hour practice day, and then take another two weeks off.<span>&nbsp; </span>They practice a little bit every day and discipline themselves to stick with their daily practice regimen no matter what.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>For me, one hour a day is perfect.<span>&nbsp; </span>That's just enough time to really get something done if I'm on a roll, but if I don't have any juice it's still a short enough amount of time that I can just power through anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>So try to set aside an hour or less of writing time everyday that's free of distractions.<span>&nbsp; </span>Unplug the TV, turn off the internet (unless you're looking for sources to put in your article), and turn off your phone.<span>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>If you follow Guideline #1 and stop ranting on Facebook you'll be surprised to see how much free time you really have.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>3 - KNOW YOUR TARGET<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Figure out who the audience is for each article before you write it and think up publications you can send your work to that would best reach that audience.<span>&nbsp; </span>If you're trying to inject some libertarianism into a mainstream newspaper you'll probably have to tone down your rhetoric and not rant about abolishing the state.<span style="color: red;"><span>&nbsp; </span></span>If you're target audience with another article is anarchists then you won't get very far with "we gotta get back to the Constitution!"<span>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>A lot typical newspapers have certain sections reserved for young people and regular<span>&nbsp; </span>middle-class adults to write for.<span>&nbsp; </span>Take advantage of these because you'll have a lot less competition.<span>&nbsp; </span>The Orlando Sentinel section I wrote for was called <i>New Voices </i>for people under twenty-five.<span>&nbsp; </span>Most Americans under twenty-five are morons so get in there!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Find the submission email for the publication you're trying to get into and email them once a week.<span>&nbsp; </span>If you're not having any luck then try another publication and then another.<span>&nbsp; </span>As a last resort you can get your own blog going at Blogger.com for free and just publish yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Smaller, newer websites that haven't garnered a lot of attention yet are usually hungry for original content.<span>&nbsp; </span>Take advantage of them too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Keep in mind, however, that some publishers demand exclusive first dibs on your article and don't want material that you've already offered to others or put on your own website.<span>&nbsp; </span>Other websites don't care a bit and will post anything.<span>&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>4 - REMEMBER, IT'S JUST PRACTICE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>At this moment I've now spent only three total hours on this article.<span>&nbsp; </span>People might like it or might not, but I don't care because by writing it period I've increased my writing skills by 0.08% and my next article will be better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-53354543967165919222012-01-13T15:38:00.004-05:002012-01-14T16:04:11.078-05:00There Are No Good Cops<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --></style> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AijY5oAwkcQ/TxCWGd73YaI/AAAAAAAAADo/mFCuRHcOUy8/s1600/20080901_police_club_33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AijY5oAwkcQ/TxCWGd73YaI/AAAAAAAAADo/mFCuRHcOUy8/s320/20080901_police_club_33.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;There are no good cops anymore.&nbsp; They’re all bad.&nbsp; Even this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFNSueFs4KE">former New Orleans cop</a> says 70% of his department should be fired or indicted.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t email me about your best friend from high school who you swear is a good cop.&nbsp; He’s not a good cop.&nbsp; Neither is the cop who lives down the street who has the fun July 4<sup>th</sup> party every year.&nbsp; Your cop uncle isn’t a good cop either.&nbsp; They’re all bad cops.&nbsp; They might all be good people, great people, when you hang out with them on their days off, but being a good person outside the job does not translate into being a good cop.</div><div class="MsoNormal">If your cop friend has <i>ever</i> ticketed or arrested someone for a victimless crime he’s a bad cop and the poor souls he arrested or ticketed were so for committing acts that harmed nobody.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Imagine if a normal citizen started going around acting like a typical cop.&nbsp; Imagine a normal-looking guy in regular clothes handcuffing people, throwing them in the back of his vehicle, and then locking them up in his dungeon because he doesn’t approve of them consuming marijuana, carrying a handgun on their person for self-defense without government permission, or even fishing without a license.&nbsp; Imagine if this guy was demanding that people who don’t wear their seatbelts give him money.&nbsp; Imagine if this person was claiming the right to use violent force against anyone who didn’t comply and the right to kill anyone who physically fought back.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">Regardless of whether or not he believed he was doing a good deed, such an individual would rightly be seen as crazed and criminal.&nbsp; But this is exactly what typical police do on a daily basis.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The only good cop is an ex-cop who left the force disgusted by the number of victimless crime laws he was asked to enforce.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">“Well, we’ll see who how much you hate cops after my cop friend saves your life!”</div><div class="MsoNormal">See one of my <a href="http://stopthestate.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-much-protection-do-police-really_17.html">previous articles</a> challenging the claim that police provide any protection at all.&nbsp; Cops are too busy ruining young pot smokers’ lives and giving single mothers $200 tickets to worry about protecting me from bad guys.&nbsp; On top of that <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241393/Murder-rate-U-S-drops-lowest-levels-decades.html">violent crime rates are at a four-decade low</a> (in spite of the bad economy and in spite of a great deal of that violence being a result of the government’s drug war) and there’s <a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20090221100148tsop.nb/topstory.html">evidence</a> that an American is more likely to be killed by an American cop than a terrorist.&nbsp; I also own and carry firearms, have a security system, a loud dog, and no compassion for aggressors – so bring it on bad guys.</div><div class="MsoNormal">History will not look kindly on the modern American police.&nbsp; We have the highest incarceration rate in the world and there are daily police-brutality incidents, each one slightly more horrific than the last, being documented on YouTube so historians fifty years from now will be able to look back and study the Great Amerikan Police-State.&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal">School children in other countries will watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b-67q0vlCw">footage</a> of American police dressed up like Darth Vader kicking down families’ doors, pointing guns at the children, and killing the family dogs over minor marijuana possession the same way American school children learn about (or used to learn about) the frightening brutality of police in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.</div><div class="MsoNormal">When that time comes you won’t want to admit that you were related to or friends with American cops anymore than someone would want to admit that they were friends with or related to Nazis.&nbsp; If you’re related to one of the <i>really</i> bad cops you might even have to change your name and move far away.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Take steps now to prevent yourself from being put in that position and to reverse the trend towards tyranny.&nbsp; Shame your cop friends into getting real jobs and if you’re unsuccessful gradually cut them out of your life completely.&nbsp; We need potential police to know that becoming a cop could cost them friendships and their invitation to the family Christmas dinner.&nbsp; Police need to know that a rapidly growing percentage of the American population looks at them with disgust.&nbsp; Only then will wannabe thugs stop joining police forces.&nbsp; Only then will the idea of becoming a cop be so degraded that law makers will be forced to end the war on vices because there won't be any people willing to put on the badge and enforce the vice laws anymore.</div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-55169881389268113302012-01-10T11:22:00.002-05:002012-01-10T12:56:26.026-05:00Why Do Most Soldiers Join the Military?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0P29yAEhQE/Twxj-CMdb7I/AAAAAAAAADg/9dQ64X5AKRg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_0P29yAEhQE/Twxj-CMdb7I/AAAAAAAAADg/9dQ64X5AKRg/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">By Austin White</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">January 10th, 2012</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">I graduated high school in 2008 and now, three and a half years later, I would confidently wager that eventually 20% of my entire graduating class will end up in the military.&nbsp; The majority of my own high school buddies were snagged by recruiters in less than a year after graduating.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Not a single one of the many people I know who joined the military ever mentioned anything about how excited they were to defend my freedoms, uphold the Constitution, or even defeat the Omnipotent Intergalactic Muslim Empire as they were leaving for basic training.&nbsp; No, they joined because they were afraid of being in control of their own lives and wanted to thrust themselves into a system that would make all of their decisions for them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Young people are more coddled than ever.&nbsp; Unless home-schooled, young people go through thirteen years of the American public school system where ,for seven to nine hours a day, they are told what classes to attend and when, where to sit, when they can eat, and when they may use the restroom (after you beg for permission, of course).&nbsp;&nbsp; For the majority of a young person's waking lives they are having their daily lives planned out by bureaucrats.&nbsp; Before they know it they are graduating and for the first time have the complete freedom to make their own decisions and plan their own lives - and they're terrified of this freedom.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">They're so used to administrators bossing them around all day that they have no confidence in their own decision making abilities.&nbsp; They've never thought about planning their own lives before; they thought the bureaucrats would handle this task forever.&nbsp; And so many join the military, where they can go back to the control of the bureaucrats.&nbsp; Once again they will be told when to eat and what to wear, but now with the additional command of <b>who to kill</b>.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Cowardly people are afraid of freedom because it means they are fully responsible for any bad choices they make.&nbsp; They're much more comfortable having the option to shift the blame for their mistakes elsewhere.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">I would say most military men are cowards.&nbsp; Sure they're signing up to grab a rifle and run into whatever battle they're ordered to, some will even jump out of airplanes, but this is recklessness, which is very different from courage.&nbsp; Modern American soldiers aren't rushing into any kind of heroic battle; they're occupying innocent peoples and imposing dictatorial martial law at the barrel of a gun so they can get their college paid for.&nbsp; How is this a respectable act?&nbsp; Courage is not blindly and unconditionally carrying out whatever order you're told to; the courageous soldier is the one who questions his orders, speaks out against them, and as a last resort refuses to obey regardless of the consequences.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">I do sympathize with military recruits.&nbsp; They are regularly bombarded with big budget military recruitment propaganda, they see the yellow "Support the Troops" stickers everywhere, country music stars write songs praising the troops, and the troops are always the good guys in American movies - it's no wonder they struggle to see the evil in what they're a part of.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Once they're in the military all of their expenses are covered.&nbsp; They're provided with food, shelter, a salary, free college, and healthcare - ALL of which is funded by the government forcefully taking money from us mere civilians here at home without our consent.&nbsp; It probably is indeed hard to give those welfare freebies up.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">But none of this matters and it doesn't matter that the troops mean well, because the same could be said of the Nazis.&nbsp; Nazi soldiers believed they were doing a good thing, that God was on their side, that their wars were defensive, and that Jews really were an evil force in the world (similar to how Muslims are viewed by modern Americans) that must be stopped.&nbsp; The great majority, if not all, Nazi soldiers probably had the full support of their families, friends, and neighbors just like American troops do.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">The majority of people in the military are there because they didn't know what to do with their lives and instead of taking a deep breath and facing the opportunity to carve out their own place in the world head on they ran with their tail between their legs into a recruiting office so some guy who doesn't care the least bit about them can make those decisions for them.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Joining the military is not a respectable decision; it is a pathetic one.&nbsp; It is a cheap and artificial way for young men to gain undeserved respect and admiration. For most men it is no more than a remedy for unemployment. The longer this is denied, the longer it will be before young men stop marching into the recruiting offices.</span></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-61318032235939694842012-01-09T11:12:00.009-05:002012-03-29T12:15:32.076-04:00A Case Against the **** ******** Foreign Policy<div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k6MftdljXno/TwsQ_i6y2PI/AAAAAAAAADY/zExHOS2z6Tg/s1600/250px-Operation_Upshot-Knothole_-_Badger_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k6MftdljXno/TwsQ_i6y2PI/AAAAAAAAADY/zExHOS2z6Tg/s1600/250px-Operation_Upshot-Knothole_-_Badger_001.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">By Austin White</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;">January 9th, 2012</div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">I consider&nbsp;**** ********* to be a friend, a great fighter in the cause for liberty, a brilliant economist, and I have much respect for him.&nbsp; However, when an influential libertarian fails in promoting a pure, consistent definition of liberty, fellow libertarians simply can't sit on the sidelines and allow this to go unchallenged.&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /><span lang="EN">Unfortunately, I do not know if or where his specific foreign policy model can be found in his own writings.&nbsp; So I will be retelling it as he explains in his economics classes.&nbsp; I'm confident in my precision, having had additional discussions with him on the subject in his office.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Professor </span><span lang="EN">*********</span><span lang="EN">courses are about 70% economics and 30% libertarian philosophy.&nbsp; Not only will he explain why the actions of <span style="color: red;">the state </span>are economically destructive, but also why they are often immoral and undefendable.&nbsp; For example, students are required to read <i>The Law</i> by Frederic Bastiat for the first exam.&nbsp; So you can easily get the picture that </span><span lang="EN">*********</span><span lang="EN"> is heroically attempting to bring young people away from statism.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">For one particular class, </span><span lang="EN">*********</span> <span lang="EN">took the class discussion to foreign policy where he immediately gave a quick history lesson of the U.S. government's actions in the middle east, starting with the 1953 CIA-led coup in Iran, then explaining how terrorism against the United State is blowback from an imperial foreign policy, and then bookending everything with an explanation of the foreign policy he thinks the American government should adopt.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">The&nbsp; </span><span lang="EN">*********</span> <span lang="EN">Foreign Policy pitch starts out as a great case for non-interventionism.&nbsp; He says we should end the wars, refrain from starting new wars, close the 900+ foreign U.S. imperial bases in 130 countries, and have free trade and free immigration with all.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">So far, so great.&nbsp; But then he ruins it all.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">*********</span> <span lang="EN">says that if after fully adopting this humble, non-interventionist foreign policy that America is attacked in any way at all the American government should respond by literally obliterating the country behind the attack.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">"If so much as a foreign fire cracker goes off within our borders, we nuke the country it came from."</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">To make sure I understood right, I spoke with him about later on in the semester and he defended this part of his foreign policy, calling it "the most efficient."</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">This is why utilitarianism is inferior to natural rights libertarianism: efficiency is considered a higher end than morality.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">The problem with a nuclear response to any attack on America is that<b> 99.99% of the people killed by the nuclear bomb are innocent civilians who have and never would have harmed any American person during the entire course of their lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">The sole purpose of nuclear weapons is to mass murder civilians; therefore a libertarian can't support the use of nukes under any circumstances.&nbsp; It is impossible to discriminate with who the nukes will kill.&nbsp; There is no way of preventing the innocent neighbors of the bad guy from perishing if the bad guy is nuked - and the neighbors harmed would span for miles.&nbsp; A quick Google Image search of "<a href="http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&amp;hl=en&amp;source=hp&amp;biw=1016&amp;bih=597&amp;q=deplete+uranium+iraq&amp;gbv=2&amp;oq=deplete+uranium+iraq&amp;aq=f&amp;aqi=&amp;aql=&amp;gs_sm=e&amp;gs_upl=1390l6415l0l6647l20l19l0l4l4l0l157l1582l7.8l15l0">depleted uranium Iraq</a>" will show you how even minor amounts of radiated residue can ruin the lives of an entire future generation of people (those people certainly having nothing to do with an attack on America).</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Only the specific individuals responsible for the planning and carrying out of the attack can be punished, and even then they are entitled to a trial.&nbsp; The ruler of the country, the military commander who devised the attack, and the lowly privates left to carry out the attack are the only people who should pay.&nbsp; Punishing anyone else simply because they live within some arbitrary borders makes no more sense than the mayor of Orlando nuking all of Tampa because a Tampa cop attacked an Orlando citizen, but this is what the </span><span lang="EN">*********</span><span lang="EN"> Foreign Policy proposes.</span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">It is the height of collectivist thinking to hold normal citizens responsible for the actions of their government.&nbsp; As if 100% of all the people of a country are in complete agreement that they want to start attacking America and that all 100% of them are willing to drop everything to defend their dictator.&nbsp; As if the ruler of that country (just another sociopathic politician like you find at the head of any government) can be considered the precise representation of the sentiments of those people.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: &quot;Trebuchet MS&quot;,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">For a deeper elaboration of a libertarian foreign policy read Murray Rothbard’s timeless essay <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard26.html">War, Peace, and the State</a>.&nbsp; </i></span></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5902064444279829460.post-6077580340366243502011-08-17T14:13:00.000-04:002011-08-17T14:13:09.755-04:00How Much Protection Do Police Really Provide?by Austin White<br /><br />August 17, 2011<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVVD39MT4ks/TkwENbBChvI/AAAAAAAAADU/OYSnRj2JDP0/s1600/dep_4596792-Cartoon-Police-Officer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LVVD39MT4ks/TkwENbBChvI/AAAAAAAAADU/OYSnRj2JDP0/s320/dep_4596792-Cartoon-Police-Officer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CAustin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="&#45;-"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal">Even as emerging <a href="http://newsblaze.com/story/20090221100148tsop.nb/topstory.html">research</a> is revealing that you are more likely to be killed by a cop than a terrorist, the overwhelming majority of Americans show no concern at all about the rapidly growing police-state.<span>&nbsp; </span>Americans are so concerned about what they believe would happen if there were a lack of government security that they are willing to tolerate the highest incarceration rate in the world<i> </i>and<i> </i>daily incidences of horrific police brutality.<span>&nbsp; </span>“The worst tyranny is still better than chaos,” they argue.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But how much protection do government police actually provide?<span>&nbsp; </span>Very little if you think about it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Police, overall, are paid the same whether they are pursuing murderers or jaywalkers.<span>&nbsp; </span>Police have no concrete incentive to choose pursuing violent criminals instead of busting harmless pot smokers.<span>&nbsp; </span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>Why would a cop risk his life fighting violent crime when he can make the same amount of money ticketing people for having faulty tag lights?<span>&nbsp; </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">And what are the odds that this cop could actually prevent or stop violent crimes from happening even if he was actively trying to do so?<span>&nbsp; </span>How many rapes have been stopped by a police officer heroically crashing through a window and apprehending the rapist seconds after he’s initiated the act?<span>&nbsp; </span>Police do not become omniscient and all powerful upon receiving their badge and the idea that police have the ability to stop violent crimes is laughable.<span>&nbsp; </span>Their badge may give them magical legal powers, but nothing else.<span>&nbsp; </span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">The idea that police have the wits to smell out and stop violent crimes becomes even more laughable when you consider that most police became police because they were unable to sell their labor and skills in the more competitive private sector, where intelligence, good social skills, and strong work ethics are rewarded.<span>&nbsp; </span>Police departments are more likely to be filled with stupider, lazier, and reckless people who desire a job where it is virtually impossible to get fired and are not likely to contain the brightest minds.<span>&nbsp; </span><i>Reno 911 </i>is the probably the most accurate portrayal of police ever produced.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The best the police can usually do is show up a half hour later, if they were even called, and do the paperwork.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The rape victim can’t get her tax dollars refunded.<span>&nbsp; </span>The police might arrest her for buying marijuana days later to alleviate depression.<span>&nbsp; </span>She may even get arrested for illegally purchasing a firearm for future defense.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aside from the frequent cases of police brutality, police produce a negative effect by providing people with a false sense of security.<span>&nbsp; </span>Because there are police on the streets supposedly ready to lay down their life in an instant to save you, people who have faith in police are less likely to lock their doors, possess guns, and take measures to provide for their own safety just as wearing a seatbelt makes a person more likely to drive aggressively.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And there is no reason to expect police services to ever improve.<span>&nbsp; </span>Unlike in the voluntary market, where the failure of a seller to provide a service leads to losses, police can’t go out of business for failing to provide adequate protection and investigative services.<span>&nbsp; </span>Even worse, police actually benefit from crime epidemics because they provide police with justifications to receive more funding.<span>&nbsp; </span></div>Austin Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01415200566109819177noreply@blogger.com2